2023 Birds of Delmarva Project
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.
- William Blake
Four years since trying to capture as many birds as possible on camera in one calendar year, I decided 2023 would be a great time to break the challenge back out and give it a another go, but not just for the challenge - to show how I’ve evolved as a photographer over the last four year.
The goal is simple - capture at least 100 different species of birds on camera from across the Delmarva Peninsula.
Current count (as of 9/2/2023): 112 Unique Species Photographed
Number 1: Eastern Screech Owl | Eastern Sussex County, DE
Number 2: Bald Eagle (Juvenile) | Prime Hook Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 3: Sanderling | Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 4: Great Blue Heron | Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 5: Snow Goose | Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 6: King Eider | Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 7: Red-Tailed Hawk | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 8: European Starling | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 9: Northern Flicker | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 10: Turkey Vulture | Cods Road, Milford, DE
Number 11: Herring Gull | Assateague Island, Maryland
Number 12: Bufflehead | Assateague Island, Maryland
Number 13: American Black Duck | Assateague Island, Maryland
Number 14: Horned Grebe | Assateague Island, Maryland
Number 15: Song Sparrow | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 16: Boat-Tailed Grackle | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 17: Greater Yellow Legs | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 18: Northern Mockingbird | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 19: Red-Winged Blackbird | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 20: Mourning Dove | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 21: Yellow-Rumped Warbler | Assateague Island, Maryland
Number 22: Common Loon | Assateague Island OSV Area, Maryland
Number 23: Carolina Chickadee | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, DE
Number 24: Eastern Bluebird | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, DE
Number 25: Barred Owl | Eastern Sussex County, Delaware
Number 26: Canada Goose | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 27: Bonaparte's Gull | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 28: Belted Kingfisher | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 29: Killdeer | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 30: Red-Breasted Nuthatch | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
Number 31: Hairy Woodpecker | Gordon's Pond Trail, Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, DE
#32 - Carolina Wren | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware
#33 - Green-winged Teal | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware
#34 - White Throated Sparrow | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware
#35 - Mallard (Female) | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware
#35 - Mallard (Male) | Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Milton, Delaware
#36 - American Oystercatcher | Sinepuxent Bay, Ocean City, Maryland
#37 - Brant | Sinepuxent Bay near Assateague Island, Berlin, Maryland
#38 - Osprey | Slaughter Beach, Milford, Delaware
#39 - Northern Harrier | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland
#40 - Pileated Woodpecker | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland
#41 - Northern Shoveler | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland
#42 - Tundra Swan | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland
#43 - American Kestrel | Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland
#44 - Lesser Scaup | Oakley Street, Cambridge, Maryland
#45 - Canvasback | Oakley Street, Cambridge, Maryland
#46 - American Wigeon | Oakley Street, Cambridge, Maryland
#47 - American Avocet | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Smyrna, Delaware
#48 - Tree Swallow | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Smyrna, Delaware
Number 49 - Willet | Life of the Marsh Trail, Assateague Island
Number 50 - Common Tern | Indian River Bay
Number 51 - Double-Crested Cormorant | Indian River Bay
Number 52 - Semipalmated Sandpiper | Oyster Rocks Road, Milton
Number 53 - Dunlin | Oyster Rocks Road, Milton
Number 54 - Snowy Egret | Gordon's Pond Trail
Number 55 - Eastern Kingbird | Gordon's Pond Trail
Number 56 - Common Yellowthroat | Gordon's Pond Trail
Number 57 - Brown-Headed Cowbird | Gordon's Pond Trail
Number 58 - Gray Catbird | Gordon's Pond Trail
Number 59 - Blue Grosbeak (Female/Juvenile Male) | Gordon's Pond Trail Parking Lot
Number 60 - Ruddy Turnstone | Cape Henlopen, Bayside
Number 61 - Field Sparrow | The Point Parking Lot
Number 62 - Wild Turkey | Field across from Seaside Nature Center, Cape Henlopen State Park
Number 63 - Black-Necked Stilt | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Number 64 - Mute Swan | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Number 65 - Semipalmated Plover | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Number 66 - Great Egret | Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
Number 67 - Great Black-Backed Gull | Assateague Island OSV
Number 68 - Brown Pelican | Assateague Island OSV
Number 69 - Chipping Sparrow | West Ocean City Nature Park
Number 70 - Northern Cardinal | West Ocean City Nature Park
Number 71 - Glossy Ibis | Assateague Island Marshes
Number 73 - House Finch | My Backyard, Rehoboth Beach
Number 73 - American Robin | My Backyard, Rehoboth Beach
Number 74: House Sparrow | Burton's Island Trail, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 75: Laughing Gull | Burton's Island Trail, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 76: Lesser Black-backed Gull | Whiskey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 77: Fish Crow | Whiskey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 78: White Ibis | Coastal Highway near Savage's Ditch, Dewey Beach, DE
Number 79: Purple Martin | Prime Hook NWR, Milton, DE
Number 80: Green Heron | Pot Nets Seaside Canal, Long Neck, DE
Number 81: Red-bellied Woodpecker | James Farm Ecological Preserve, Ocean View, DE
Number 82: Tufted Titmouse | James Farm Ecological Preserve, Ocean View, DE
Number 83: Blue Jay | James Farm Ecological Preserve, Ocean View, DE
Number 84: Great Crested Flycatcher | James Farm Ecological Preserve, Ocean View, DE
Number 85: Pine Warbler | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 86: Brown-headed Nuthatch | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 87: Forster's Tern | Gordon's Pond Trail, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 88: Least Tern | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 89: Indigo Bunting | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 90: Seaside Sparrow | Oyster Rocks Road, Milton, DE
Number 91: Eastern Towhee | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 92: Barn Swallow | DuPont Nature Center, Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 93: Ring-billed Gull | DuPont Nature Center, Fowler Beach, Milford, DE
Number 94: Downy Woodpecker | James Farm Ecological Preserve, Ocean View, DE
Number 95: Royal Tern | Indian River Bay, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 96: Cooper's Hawk | Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 97: Common Grackle | Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 98: American Goldfinch | Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 99: Rock Pigeon | Cape May - Lewes Ferry Terminal, Lewes, DE
Number 100: Black Vulture | Pot Nets Seaside, Long Neck, DE
Number 101: Black Skimmer | Indian River Bay, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 102: Black and White Warbler | Life of the Forest Trail, Assateague Island, MD
Number 103: Bank Swallow | Milford, DE
Number 104: Cedar Waxwing | Fowler Beach Road, Milford, DE
Number 105: Least Sandpiper | Indian River Bay near Pot Nets Seaside, Long Neck, DE
Number 106: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Cape Henlopen, Lewes, DE
Number 107: American Crow | Oyster Rocks Road, Milton, DE
Number 108: Spotted Sandpiper | Burton's Island Trail, Bethany Beach, DE
Number 109: Black-bellied Plover (Juvenile) | Beach Plum Island Nature Preserve, Milton, DE
Number 110: Short-billed Dowitcher | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 111: Caspian Tern | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Number 112: Lesser Yellowlegs | Gordon's Pond Trail, Rehoboth Beach, DE