The Nature of Delaware

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator

A Warbling Vireo holding a strip of bark peeled from a dead Tulip Poplar branch. Image by Derek Stoner.

On this morning’s bird walk at Ashland Nature Center, we came across a handsome male bird trying to attach a fancy looking handlebar moustache to his beak in order to impress the ladies.  At least that’s what the scene looked like.  In actuality, this Warbling Vireo was picking long strips of Tulip Poplar bark from a dead branch.  After gathering a nice beakful of material, the vireo flew away to add the bark to its neatly woven nest. 

A Warbling Vireo is by name a great singer, but by looks is not very fancy.  Drab brownish gray on the back with a pale yellow chest, this bird blends in well with the canopy of the sycamore and ash trees where it is often found feeding and nesting.  Most often your best look at a Warbling Vireo is glimpses of it belly as it hops around in the treetops.   Today’s encounter with this particular vireo is an exception, as it hopped around on a branch at eye level at a distance of less than 20 feet from our group of birders.  A great look at a unique bird!

Share this post with your friends!

By John Harrod, Manager, DuPont Environmental Education Center

Occasionally, visitors to the Dupont Environmental Education Center spot Beavers swimming in the Christina River, right in front of the center.  On a recent marsh clean-up in the 212-acre Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge, volunteers from the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington were treated to close up looks at a our resident North American Beaver. 

Beaver lodge near the Wilmington Riverfront. Photo by John Harrod.

The group spotted the Beaver just after lunch time. Beavers are generally nocturnal and can be most reliably seen in the late afternoon and early evening, but in the spring they are quite active and can be seen throughout the day. Located in a non-public portion of the marsh, the beaver has built a lodge in an existing tidal pool. During a very low tide, the lodge entrance, which is usually submerged, can be clearly seen. In many streams in Delaware, Beavers do not build a traditional dome-shaped lodge, or even build dams. Instead, they burrow into the bank and pile up large branches above their entrance along the bank. These sites are usually found behind man-made dams such as those along the Red Clay Creek at Ashland Nature Center. 

North American Beaver. Photo by Sri Mesh

If you are more interested in seeing a North American Beaver and other nocturnal animals of the marsh, register for the Night in the Marsh on Friday evening, May 13. More information can be found here.

Share this post with your friends!