The Sussex Bird Club

WinterWren©DebbieBlair SBC Field Trip to Assawoman Wildlife Management Area, Oct. 26, 2026, 8-11AM. Twenty birders enjoyed a beautiful chilly fall morning of birding and identified 45 species. The new observation deck at Assawoman is amazing! There is one eBird checklist for this trip with details and great photos. Check it out!

Nov. 8, 2026, 2PM @Lewes Public Library. Join us in-person in the library or online for a presentation by biologist Rachel Yurchisin on the Delaware Kestrel Partnership. The partnership was founded to study North America’s smallest falcon, the American Kestrel, and investigate their declining population. NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer: https://delawarelibraries.libcal.com/event/14994474

WhiteIbis©AnnDinkel SBC Field Trip to CHSP Gordons Pond Trail North, October 15, 2026, 8-10:30AM. Thirteen birders identified 43 species in about 2 hours. Go to this trip's eBird checklist for the full species list.

2026BIG SIT@CHSP©SMcInnis From our 17-foot diameter count circle, twenty-four SBC members enjoyed bird watching, eating bagels and socializing while participating in the "Big Sit." Winds were 8-10 mph out of the east which blew the migratory birds inland and away from The Point at Cape Henlopen. We recorded an amazing 39 species in 2 hours! Here's the link for the eBird checklist.

GreatBlueHeron©DickPlambeck SBC Field Trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, 8AM-1PM. Fifteen members attended this trip and recorded more than 60 species! There is one eBird checklist. Thank you to everyone who participated with sighting and identifying the birds and to Steve for keeping the list. A great time was had by all!

Chris Sweeney will present his book, The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, at the History Book Festival on Saturday, September 26th at 11:30AM at Lewes Public Library. This event is presented in partnership with the Sussex Bird Club. ABOUT THE BOOK In 1932, a diminutive, bespectacled, young woman named Roxie Laybourne graduated with her BA in mathematics and general science in NC before laboring behind the scenes at museums a

Belted Kingfisher©KevinMoore The Sep. 22, 2026 Field Trip to Burton Island & Savages Ditch has been CANCELED due to the inclement weather forecast. Our next field trip will be to Bombay Hook NWR on Oct. 1.

LesserYellowlegs©DebbieBlair SBC Field Trip to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Saturday, Sep. 12. Seven SBC members enjoyed a full day of birding at Chincoteague. All the details can be found in the eBird Trip Report, including the10 checklists compiled by Steve McInnis. We saw 45 bird species and a Delmarva Fox Squirrel. Highlight species were 2 Sandwich Terns and 1 Marbled Godwit.

Sussex Bird Club Meeting, Sunday, September 13, 2026 @2:00PM Join us for a brief meeting followed by Len Eiserer's presentation, "Bringing Up Baby: Breeding in the American Robin." NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer. Go to the Lewes Library's events calendar to register and for more information about this presentation.

Black-neckedStilt©RichGiannola SBC Field Trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Weather was sunny, 3-7 mph breezes and warm to hot. Temperatures started about 78 degrees F and rose to 87 degrees F by 12 noon. There are 2 eBird checklists: Parking lot at Visitor Center before the walk (16 species) and then 3.5 hours driving and walking throughout the Refuge (64 species).

Bobolink©SheriMcConville SBC Field Trip to Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area (near Elkton, MD), Tuesday, June 9, 2026 There are 2 eBird Checklists for Fair Hill: N. Appleton Rd. Parking Lot and the Covered Bridge & Nature Center Area And a side trip to Delaware City on the way home added an another Checklist for the day at the Delaware City Waterfront. Thank you, Steve, for coordinating this trip! Photo©SheriMcConville

Youth Bird Walk@Prime Hook NWR This very successful new event took place on May 30, 2026 at Prime Hook NWR. It was organized by Ashley and Quentin Durden and led by members of Sussex Bird Club. Twenty-one kids and their parents were in attendance! They enjoyed the beautiful day and saw some great birds! Stay tuned for dates of more youth bird walks. And check out "The Heartbeat of Delmarva" a WBOC News video that features Quentin and his quest to get more young people interes

Photo©DebbieBlair Sunday, May 31, 2026; SBC Field Trip to the Roman Fisher Farm at Delaware Wild Lands' Great Cypress Swamp. The Great Cypress Swamp is about 10,000 acres of restricted access, forested wetlands and is not open to the public. We had a beautiful day, and a great field trip on a wonderful tract of land! See the eBird checklist for more details and a list of the 56 species we recorded.

SeasideSparrow©RichGiannola Sussex Bird Club traveled to DuPont Nature Center, Marvel Marsh and Slaughter Beach on May 28, 2026. Highlight species were Red Knots, Black Skimmers and Seaside Sparrow. Here's the link to the eBird Trip Report, which includes 77 species in 9 checklists with several photos. We had a successful trip on a beautiful day!

SBC Meeting @ Lewes Public Library, Sunday, May 17, 2026 @2:00PM Join the Sussex Bird Club in-person in the library or online for a brief meeting followed by Steve Sarro's presentation on African Penguin conservation. You must pre-register for this event. Details and registration link can be found on the Lewes Library's Events Calendar.

May 18, 2026. Sussex Bird Club conducted a field trip to Prime Hook STATE Wildlife Management Area on May 18, 2026. Six members attended on this beautiful sunny day. We saw/heard 53 species, which is great. Warbler Alley was quiet. However, we picked up several warblers at the end of Little Neck Rd. eBird checklist (Photo©RichGiannola)

SBC Field Trip to the Ponders Tract at Pemberton Forest Preserve, May 9, 2026. The Nature Conservancy noted International Migratory Bird Day by hosting a public walk at The Nature Conservancy's Ponder’s Tract. The wind suppressed the bird activity, yet the participants saw/heard 37 species of birds. Thanks to The Nature Conservancy for allowing the public to access the Ponder’s Tract. Check out the eBird checklist for details. (Photo©AnnDinkel)

Richard hosted the Sussex Bird Club at his beautiful Eastwind Property. The weather started as overcast and a cool 52 degrees F, with 4-8 mph winds. The cool & cloudy morning subdued the bird activity till about 8:40am when the sun came out. There is one eBird Checklist for this trip. (Photo©AnnDinkel)

To our friends of the Road Runners, For many years you have supported the Road Runners in our efforts to raise funds for the Delaware Bird-A-Thon (BAT). Your generosity has helped preserve crucial habitat. Due to scheduling conflicts, the Road Runners are not participating in the BAT. But don’t worry, we’ll be back next year! Most years Road Runners is one of the top teams when it comes to the amount of money raised. This year’s BAT is targeting improvements at Bennett’s P