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