We went on a trip with the Sussex Bird Club to the DuPont Nature Center. There were about two dozen members attending. We first climbed up the deck at the Nature Center with several members of the club to scope out red knots, in particular. We saw many of them along with many dunlins, laughing gulls, and ruddy turnstones. Other birds seen included black-necked stilts, ospreys, double-crested cormorants, willets, barn swallows, American oystercatchers, and short-billed dowitchers. After that, we walked down Lighthouse Road to the set of guardrails that flanked the road. From there, we saw three clapper rails, an adult bald eagle, seaside sparrows, and a black-bellied plover, among others. We left the Nature Center and went to nearby Marvel Boardwalk. Highlights there included three black-necked stilts, seaside sparrows, a killdeer, ospreys, and a magnolia warbler. For our final stop, we crossed the road and walked to Slaughter Beach. Birds we saw at the beach included red-winged blackbirds, red knots, dunlins, ruddy turnstones, a black-bellied plover, and a semipalmated plover. We identified 25 species at the Nature Center and Lighthouse Road, 14 species at Marvel Boardwalk, and 13 species at Slaughter Beach.
MY PHOTOS: short-billed dowitcher, seaside sparrow, ring-billed gull, laughing gull, great blue heron, bald eagle
