Date: 7 Sep 2024 – 8am-11:30am
Trip Leader: Chris Bennett
The group met at the Delaware Fish and Wildlife Boat Ramp in Little Creek before heading south to the main tract of Little Creek Wildlife Area. While at the boat ramp, the group saw a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron and more than 70 Bobolinks. The Bobolinks were mostly flyovers, but one large group flew in and landed in the marsh on the north side of the Little River across from the boat ramp.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron by Carolyn Holland.
Once at the Main Tract of Little Creek Wildlife Area we walked sections of the gravel road leading to the Observation Tower, viewed the impounded marsh from the observation tower and walked beyond the gate at the tower parking lot to scan the west impoundment. We had a small flock of mixed songbirds near the maintenance yard that included common resident and nesting species. One participant spotted a mostly yellow songbird that we were unable to relocate and remained unidentified. There was a single Bald Eagle perched on one of the powerline poles well to the north of the road.
From the observation tower we saw a single American Bittern, a single Common Gallinule and a large group of roosting herons and egrets in the tree islands to the north along the Little River. That group included dozens of Snowy Egrets, a few Great Egrets, 2 Tricolored Herons and a single juvenile White Ibis. There was also a large group of gulls and terns roosting on an exposed flat in the impoundment that included 150 Caspian Terns. Waterfowl seen included 32 Blue-winged Teal, 28 Canada Geese, 24 Mallards, 4 Green-winged Teal and 2 Mute Swans. We ended the day with 67 species total. The eBird checklists can be found here:
Little Creek Boat Ramp: https://ebird.org/checklist/S194442208
Little Creek Wildlife Area: https://ebird.org/checklist/S194442138
Common Yellowthroat by David Lewis. Laughing Gulls by Carolyn Holland.