I’m already ready starting to feel it. That very subtle shift in our birding focus, over the hump with each day get-ting a bit longer and closer to that Feb-ruary in Delaware magical waterfowl mi-gration. If you haven’t truly experienced it before, make this 2017 February the year that you get out and witness the enormity of the spectacle! As February carries on, more and more waterfowl — ducks, geese, and swans — become more numerous, more active and more impatient for their north-ern trek. Traveling south along Rt. 9 from Delaware City, you will see the waterfowl numbers growing impressively with each passing weekend. The ponds, impound-ments, fields, and sky will become alive with activity, more so than any other time in the passing winter waterfowl scene.

Although this winter has not proven to be too harsh, you can still expect a strong northern movement into our Del-aware waters as the flocks from the south arrive to stage and prepare to do their big push to the breeding grounds. As the numbers start to back up towards the end of February, both the Canada and Snow Goose flocks tend to prefer the large water of the Delaware River, while the Common Mergansers follow the Piedmont river valley waters. Late last February, flocks of snow geese lined up in the New Castle County section of the Delaware River for as far as the eye could see for days on end, that was quite the show! All of the well-known and lesser-known impoundments will be filled with numerous duck species including thou-sands of Northern Pintails and Northern Shovelers, Green-winged Teals, Gadwall, Ring-necked Ducks, and the rest of the cast of characters! You may even be lucky enough to witness a day or two of their pre-breeding migration frenzy known as Zugunruhe - an anxious and restless be-

havior in migratory animals where there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to all of their frenzied movements and bursts of flight. Again, a spectacle not to be missed! As it is oftentimes said, there really isn’t anything quite comparable to the waterfowl migration in Delaware during the month of February - get out and enjoy! Good Birding,

Bill Stewart, DOS President

Greetings FROM THE PRESIDENT

issueIN THIS

GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT ....................

MONTHLY MEETINGS ..........................................

MEMBERSHIP NEWS ...........................................

FIELD TRIPS .......................................................

DOS CONSERVATION SCIENCE GRANTS ..............

GET OUT AND BIRD! ...........................................

49TH ANNUAL SPRING ROUNDUP ......................

AMERICAN KESTREL SYMPOSIUM .......................

WHAT’S THIS BIRD? ............................................

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TheflyerNEWSLETTER OF THE DELMARVA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

FEBRUARY 2017Volume 48 | Number 6

Happy New Year From DOS! Start the year off right with a DOS membership

Your membership helps DOS fund field trips, meetings, and conservation efforts! Help support your local birds by

becoming a DOS member today!

Join DOS Today Online or Renew Your Membership at: http://www.dosbirds.org/membership/

2 The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org

Curl-crested Aracari by Lonnie Huffman

FEBRUARY 2017 | VOLUME 48 | NUMBER 6

Delmarva Ornithological

Society

COMMITTEES Publications Committee

Jean Woods, Chair Kelley Nunn, Flyer Editor

Hannah Greenberg, Flyer Co-Editor Gene Hess, Delmarva Ornithologist Editor

ELECTED OFFICERSPresident

Vice President Treasurer Secretary

Council 2017 Council 2018 Council 2019

Flyer Editor

Bill Stewart Anthony Gonzon Jim Lewis Holly Merker Lisa Smith Joe Sebastiani Kim Steininger Kelley Nunn

Conservation Matthew Sarver

Membership Ian Stewart

Programs Anthony Gonzon

Hawkwatch Sally O’Byrne

Field Trips Amy O’Neil

Parker O’Neil

Spring Round-up Chris Bennett

Outreach & Publicity Derek Stoner

Delaware Records Frank Rohrbacher

CBC Jim White

Webmaster Andrew Homsey

MISSION STATEMENT

The object and purpose of this Society shall be the promotion of the study of birds, the advancement and diffusion of ornithologi-

cal knowledge, and the conservation of birds and their environment.

ONLINE DOSbirds.org

FACEBOOK facebook.com/DOSbirds

TWITTER twitter.com/DOS_birds

Flyer Inquiries: flyer@DOSbirds.org

Front Page Photo: Northern Cardinal by Derek Stoner Header photo: Christmas Bird Count Birders at Sunrise

Join DOS as Master MC Jim White hosts the night's activities in reviewing the 2016 National Audubon CBC's from Delaware. Listen in as we hear Count Cir-cle reports on the birds, effort, and sur-prises discovered during this 117th CBC, the longest running citizen science project in North America! This meeting also serves as DOS’s annual Chili Night, and we encourage you to bring your favorite crock-pot chili and some fresh bread. If you plan on con-tributing your heralded chili and/or bread, please contact Anthony Gonzon at at-gonzon@verizon.net.

Please Note: This meeting has an earli-er start time of 6:30 PM. This meeting will be held at the American Birding Association Headquarters: 93 Clinton Street, Delaware City, DE.

Learn how to use eBird and how this online bird sightings database can help you as a birder. eBird has added a lot of new capabilities recently, from uploading photos and audio, to creating a personal sightings profile, to notifications about rarities, and much more. Easy and fun to use, eBird is the per-fect complement to your binoculars and field guide, and if you want to know where the birds are...just as important. Holly Merker and Joe Sebastiani will share the benefits of eBird with you, with a Del-aware focus.

This meeting will be held at the Ash-land Nature Center in Hockessin, DE like usual.

Anthony Gonzon, DOS Vice President

Monthly Meetings: Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month from September through May at

Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, DE. Social hour and refreshments are at 7:00pm, followed by the meeting and presentations at 7:30pm. If you’d like to bring snacks to share or contribute

photographs to the pre-meeting slideshow, please contact our meeting hostess, Kelley Nunn at: kelley.nunn@gmail.com.

MONTHLY Meetings

Wednesday, Mar. 15th What eBird Can Do For You &

What You Can Do For eBird with Holly Merker & Joe Sebastiani

Wednesday, Feb. 15th Delaware CBC Reports &

Annual Chili Night! with Jim White at ABA Headquarters

DOS Membership News: Renew Your Membership, Plus Call For Nominations!

MEMBERSHIP News

The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org 3

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO RENEW YOUR DOS MEMBERSHIP! If you haven’t renewed your membership please do so! All dues help pay for a range of society functions and keep us flying! Either make out a check to ‘DOS’ and mail it to us at PO Box 4247 Wilmington DE 19807 or renew online using a credit card or PayPal via our website (http://www.dosbirds.org/membership/ - the ‘Renewals’ button is in the lower right hand corner). Individual memberships are still just $25 and households just $37.50 though if you want to really help DOS (and indirectly, the birds) our higher level memberships are Kestrel ($50), Black- necked Stilt ($100) and Peregrine ($200). If you join at the latter two levels you qualify for free DOS merchandise and if you take the plunge and join the esteemed group of Life Members ($500) you qualify for a free cap and ‘lucky’ binocular strap as well as a personalized birding tour! Also, gift memberships always make great presents! If you know someone who is interested in birds why not treat them

to an individual membership? It could open up a whole new world for them!

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR DOS FELLOWS & HONORARY MEMBERS! It’s that time of year again when we start accepting nom-inations for DOS Fellows and Honorary Members - check out your Membership Directory to see the honor roll of previous awardees! DOS FELLOWS must have made a significant contribu-tion to the affairs of the Society, preferably as a Committee or Council member, and/or must have made a significant contribu-tion to the ornithology of the Delmarva Peninsula or nearby area. HONORARY MEMBERS should have national prominence in the field of ornithology or a closely related field and have been of service to the Society, or the area’s birds for an extended peri-od of time. Nominations for either category can be submitted to me at istew@udel.edu.

Ian Stewart, DOS Membership Chair

Kris Benarcik Wilmington, DE

Katie Bird Millville, DE

Robert & Carol Blye Lewes, DE

Susan Braun State College, PA

Melanie Fox Wilmington, DE

Lenore & Bill Michelinie Newark, DE

Ellen & Don Scavia Landenberg, PA

Madeeha Shams & Robert Raines

Wyncote, PA

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR NEWEST LIFE

MEMBERS,

Carolyn & Vincent D’Amico

Landenberg, PA

New Members, WELCOME

TO THE FLOCK!

Top: Wood Duck Fledglings by Kim Steininger

4 The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org

All members and guests are welcome! Only trips that are noted are restricted to DOS members, due to space limitations. Participation in field trips is at your own risk. Please help our leaders and our environment by carpooling, especially on trips which include several locations. Half day trips

will usually end before lunchtime unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to contact trip leaders if you have any questions. Please Note: Check our website (www.dosbirds.org), The Flyer, or the

DEBirds Listserv in case of trip changes, cancellations, or trip additions. * = Locations Requiring Entrance Fees DD = Delaware Dunlins Recommended

UPCOMING Field Trips

Stone Harbor/Avalon NJSAT • 11 March • Multiple Locations

Leader: Bill StewartSearch for early arriving shorebirds such as Piping Plover & Amer-ican Oystercatcher. Snowy Owl has been seen on 2 previous trips.

We will also visit the 8th St. jetty in Avalon for eider, Harlequin Duck, and the start of Northern Gannet migration. Pack a lunch, we will bird until 2PM. Registration Required. Confirm with Bill,

bird-del@earthlink.net or 610-864-0370.

Barred Owl by Jim White

SUN • 5 March • Multiple LocationsLeader: Chris Bennett

The Delaware Bayshore between Woodland Beach and Ted Har-vey Wildlife Areas offers some of the best birding in the United

States. This trip will visit some of the 13,521 acres of state-owned land along the bayshore. Meet at the Aquatic Resources Educa-

tion Center, on Route 9, 8AM-Noon.

Bayshore Wildlife Areas: Woodland Beach to Ted Harvey

Woodland Beach Observation Tower by Kelley Nunn

Trip At Indian River Inlet by Hannah Greenberg

Owl TripSUN • 5 February • Multiple Locations

Leader: Jim WhiteSeven species of owl may be seen and/or heard in a single full day. Various locations. Registration Required. Must call Jim if you are attending (302-593-9622). DOS members only due to

space limitations. Meet at the New Castle County Airport. Bring lunch. Full day.

Barred Owl by Jim White

SAT • 18 February • Indian River InletLeader: Anthony Gonzon & Chris Bennett

Join Anthony and Chris to ID and document seabirds such as Northern Gannet, scoters, loons, gulls, & cormorants, plus find a rarity or two. Check the forecast and dress appropriately. Meet at

the Delaware Seashore State Park lot on the south side of the Indian River Inlet along the ocean at 8AM.

Sea Watch IV

Long-tailed Ducks by Anthony Gonzon

Purple Sandpiper by Kelley Nunn

What’s That Bird Photo Quiz Answer: Purple Finch

The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org 5

DOS CONSERVATION Science Grants

Delmarva Ornithological Soci-ety (DOS) Conservation Science Grants support innovative investigations into bird conservation challenges. DOS en-courages projects with a strong empha-sis on species and habitat conservation and management. We also are interested in projects that greatly enhance our under-standing of the conservation require-ments of bird species of conservation concern. Projects with a focus on the Delmarva Peninsula and/or Delaware

Bay are preferred, but projects of region-al and global significance will also be considered if they include work conduct-ed in this focal region. Grants are re-viewed annually by a grant review com-mittee appointed by the DOS Conserva-tion Chair.

ELIGIBILITY — Open to non-profit orga-nizations; university-aff i l iated re-searchers, including graduate students; and to qualified unaffiliated researchers. University-affiliated proposals must be

submitted directly by the Principal Inves-tigator.

SIZE OF GRANTS — Not to exceed $3,000

TIMELINE — Applications must be re-ceived by 4 pm on March 6, 2017.

HOW TO APPLY — Application materials can be found at http://www.dosbird-s.org/dos-conservation-science-grants/

Jean Woods, DOS Publications Chair

CONSERVATION Corner

Clapper Rail Header Photo: Long-eared Owl by Kelley Nunn

Did you get out and bird in Jan-uary? Many people did, and those who played the “flock” game were rewarded with a conspicuous Ross’s Goose in a flock of Canada Geese in New Castle County; Lapland Longspur and American Pipit in mixed flocks of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks in Kent County; and Glau-cous Gull and Iceland Gull with other gulls in Sussex County. In the rarity category, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, Crested Caracara, and Northern Shrike had people flocking to Sussex County. In the yard and at the feeders: Despite the exciting winter finch forecast, it seems this winter is fairly “finch-less” in the Delmarva area. Many Red-breasted nuthatches and Purple Finches moved through the area in the fall, but not many stuck around, and reports of Pine Siskins are few and far between. Black-capped Chickadees and American Tree Sparrows have been seen at feeders in New Castle County, and one White-winged Dove showed up at a backyard feeder, so keep your eyes open! For a really fun activity during the long Presidents’ Day Weekend, join in with others in the Great Backyard

Bird Count from February 12–15! More details on page 3? Around the water: Wintering wa-terfowl will continue through February but will begin to take wing in March. Common Eiders have been seen throughout Jan-uary at Indian River Inlet, along with Long-tailed Ducks, Red-throated Loons, and scoters. Common Goldeneye have been seen in Sussex and New Castle Counties. Common Mergansers are finally showing up in numbers at Lums Pond and Silver Lake in Dover. The Newark Reservoir re-cently hosted a variety of waterfowl, in-cluding Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, and Common Mergansers. A number of heron species and even Clapper Rails have continued in the area through last month, thanks to the relatively mild weather. In the sky: Is it me, or are Pileated Woodpeckers everywhere right now? These dark woodpeckers have the charac-teristic, undulating flight pattern of other woodpeckers, but their large size and prominent white wing patches make them unmistakable in flight. Their foraging ac-tivity is high right now, and with the leaves

off the trees, they are easy to spot—enjoy it while you can! In other places: Be sure to keep an eye out for Rusty Blackbirds in wet, woodsy areas. The Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz starts March 1, and it doesn’t hurt to have some spots already identified to check for this species. Listen for: Toward the middle or end of February, start listening for the “peenting” call of American Woodcock as they being spring courtship at their leks. Spring Is in the Air! Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls are already incu-bating eggs, and the young will hatch this month! Other resident raptors and water-fowl are pairing off, establishing nesting territories, and performing courtship dis-plays. The Wilmington Peregrine Falcons will also be courting soon and getting their “scrape” ready for eggs, so be sure to tune in and catch all the action via the LIVE nestcam, which is back online as of Feb-ruary 1 and available on www.wilmfalcon-s.com/webcam.

Lisa Smith, DOS Council

6 The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org

Get Out and Bird in February!GET OUT AND Bird!

Redheads by Jim WhiteCrested Caracara by Jim White

*Sale price can not be used on optics or gift cards. No other discounts will be applied. Not good on previous purchases.

—Your backyard bird feeding special ist—

Lancaster Pike & Yorklyn Road Hockessin, DE

(302) 239 - 9071 www.wbu.com/hockessin

Wild Birds Unlimited

DOS Members Receive 10% Off*

Every Bird is Coming to Wild

Birds Unlimited’s February Seed &

Suet Sale!

The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org 7

SPRING Roundup!

49th Annual SPRING ROUNDUP!

DE Shorebird Report Now Available

For 48 years, Delaware birders have participated in a statewide effort to count breeding and migratory birds in our state on a single May Saturday during the height of Spring mi-gration. The Spring Roundup has always been an important DOS event. Saturday, May 13, 2017 will mark the 49th year of the Spring Roundup. If you have participated in the past, I hope you

will get out and count this year as well. If you have participated in the past or have never participated, but would like to spend a day or part of a day in the field counting birds, please contact me at cpb2564@gmail.com so I can coordinate coverage. Two years ago, the eBird team at the Cornell Lab of Or-nithology initiated the Global Big Day which coincides with our traditional Spring Roundup date. I ask that everyone who partici-pates in the Spring Roundup also complete eBird checklists for established hotspots or personal locations where you bird that day. That way all of our 2017 Spring Roundup data will be includ-ed in the Global Big Day data set. In 2016, 17,409 birders submit-ted 47,274 checklists which included 6332 species worldwide. In Delaware, 69 birders submitted 193 checklists and recorded 204 species of birds! Thank You.

Chris Bennett, DOS Spring Roundup

Every spring we all enjoy the tens of thousands of shorebirds that migrate through Delaware Bay. As many of you know shorebird researchers also flock to Delaware to study these birds, particularly the Red Knot. Have you ever wondered what they discover every year? The Delaware Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife has released a report on the 2016 research sea-son. The report is posted online here. Like what you see? Consider volunteering with the project this spring. Or maybe just bake us some cookies! Find out about volunteering at the project web page http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/shorebirds/Pages/default.as-px.

Jean Woods, Delaware Museum of Natural History

Northern Parula by Shannon Modla

Semipalmated Sandpiper by Dan Walker

Header Photo: American Oystercatchers by Kim Steininger

Header photo: American Kestrel by Hank Davis

AMERICAN KESTREL Symposium Recap

Scientists and citizen scientists from 20 states and 2 Canadian prov-inces came to Delaware in January to discuss the status, plight, and future of the American Kestrel (Falco sparvari-ous), and about a dozen DOS members had the outstanding opportunity to at-tend. Throughout most of North America, the population counts for the American Kestrel has been declining since the 1960’s, and at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, their count numbers suggest a decline going back to the 1930’s. Besides docu-menting this decline, it is important to figure out strategies to stabilize and re-build population. Several reasons for the decline have been suggested, and there appears to be no ‘silver bullet.’ West Nile Virus, habitat degradation and change, pesti-cide use, and the rise of Cooper’s Hawk populations have all been suggested. However, no one item can be blamed. It may be an aggregate or one threat coming after another and on top of another. Seeking the cause of the decline must also take into account the kestrel’s full life cy-cle. Where do they breed and how suc-cessful are they? What hazards challenge the birds on migration? What are the habi-tat changes at their wintering grounds? Nationally there are kestrels that migrate long distances, some that remain in the same area all year long, and others that move depending on the severity of the Winter. Can we make assumptions about perils that include all of these popula-tions? There have been efforts by both researchers and cit izen scientists throughout the United States and Canada to install kestrel boxes to aid in nesting. American Kestrels are cavity nesters, and historically would have nested in snags and dead trees. Today, boxes may be a boon where cavities don’t exist, but some kestrels continue to nest in snags and others have found nesting sites in human

built structures, from air vents to cornices. Locally, one pair nested in the water tower at Granogue in N. Delaware, and another at the Dover Air Force Base. How helpful are boxes? Proper construction is impor-tant and identifying proper habitat before placing a box is crucial. The health of the current kestrel population and the avail-ability of natural cavities may also deter-mine whether boxes are helpful.

Our knowledge of breeding and kestrel success is dependent on kestrels nesting in boxes - we know very little about the number or health of kestrels that nest in other cavities, whether natur-al or in buildings. Boxes provide an oppor-tunity to monitor kestrel habits, reproduc-tion, and behavior. Boxes allow for easy capture so kestrels can be banded, using USFW bands … Continued Page 8

KESTREL Symposium

American Kestrel by Hank Davis

8 The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org

The Flyer | February 2017 | www.DOSbirds.org 9

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

…and sometimes additionally color or numerically coded bands to answer ques-tions of site fidelity or regional move-ments. Mounting a camera on a box or inside a box allows monitoring of chicks and can document things such as prey items or percentage of brooding by male or female. Kestrels like a habitat of short mixed grass - not rows of crops and not tall hayfields. They need grass that is short enough to see and catch their prey easily. Pasture-like conditions seem ideal, at least in the East. Comparing Montana to North Carolina to Michigan to Pennsylva-nia, demonstrates kestrels can be found in different types of habitat and land use, but with the similar structure of short mixed vegetation. The symposium, attended by 100 people from all across North America, was a terrific way to gather many people in one room who have a common interest in American Kestrels. To make progress, pro-fessionals and citizen scientists need to communicate, figure out what questions to ask, and create common protocols to use in the field. In addition, there has to be a place where field data from each Ameri-can Kestrel nest box project in North

America can be sent, collated and studied to better understand what is going on. Collecting years of data is only the begin-ning of the effort. Using that data to an-swer questions and develop strategies for the kestrels’ future is the ultimate goal. The last time a symposium fo-cused on American Kestrel was over a decade ago. This one, brought together by the Brandywine Zoo’s Delaware Kestrel Partnership Project (DKP) and The Pere-grine Fund’s American Kestrel Partnership, was a great next step. Moving forward, the American Kestrel Partnership appears to be positioned to take a leadership role in developing and formatting data collection throughout North America. DOS was for-tunate to be a partner in this symposium, and the DOS members who attended had the opportunity contribute to this conti-nent-wide conversation.

Sally O’Byrne, DOS Conservation Committee

The Delaware Kestrel Partnership, which formally came together in 2016, is com-posed of the Brandywine Zoo and Delaware Fish and Wildlife (partnership program chairs), along with Delaware State Parks, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, The Amer-ican Kestrel Partnership, and, of course,

DOS. Additionally, a number of public and private landowners in Delaware are part-nered with the DKP as nest box locations. The goal of this partnership is to determine probable cause of decline in Delaware’s American Kestrel populations by conduct-ing demographic studies which utilize the guidelines of the American Kestrel Partner-ship; unifying citizen and professional sci-ence data; and educating the general pub-lic on American Kestrels and ways to help increase their population. The Brandywine Zoo has been monitor-ing Kestrel nest boxes since 2014, 48 in total at the close of 2016, and it plans on adding monitoring of natural nest sites across Del-aware to its program in 2017. Identifying as many natural cavities where Kestrels are nesting will be critical to the success of monitoring this endangered species in Del-aware. To share information which could help the DKP identify natural nest sites in Delaware, or for questions about helping to monitor nest boxes across the state or other ways to get involved with the project, email the Brandywine Zoo’s Education Depart-ment at education@BrandywineZoo.org.

Jacque A. Williamson, C.I.T. Curator of Education, Brandywine Zoo

WEBSITE dosbirds.org

FACEBOOK facebook.com/DOSbirds

TWITTER twitter.com/DOS_birdsDOS Online:

Non-profit OrgU S Postage

PAIDPermit 314

Wilmington DE

DELMARVA ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY P.O. BOX 4247 WILMINGTON DE 19807

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Thank you to DOS Member Nick Pulcinella for contributing another ‘What’s This Bird?’ photo quiz!

WHAT’S THIS Bird?

A. Purple Finch B. Song Sparrow C. Savannah Sparrow D. House Finch E. Vesper Sparrow F. Lincoln's Sparrow G. Hermit Thrush

What’s This Bird?

For the answer, check under the Field Trip Schedule on Flyer Page 4!

Photo Taken In North America In April | Possible Choices: