Birds in Delaware in October: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Delaware in October in our iNaturalist sample; 12 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in October

Great Blue Heron181 obs.

Bald Eagle178 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler145 obs.

Great Egret123 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet111 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant102 obs.

American Avocet99 obs.

Laughing Gull99 obs.

Snowy Egret95 obs.

Savannah Sparrow93 obs.

Eastern Phoebe86 obs.

Cooper's Hawk85 obs.

All birds seen in Delaware in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	181	May (past peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	178	Apr (past peak)
3	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	145	Oct (peak)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	123	Aug (past peak)
5	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	111	Oct (peak)
6	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	102	Aug (past peak)
7	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	99	Aug (past peak)
8	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	99	Aug (past peak)
9	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	95	Aug (past peak)
10	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	93	Oct (peak)
11	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	86	Oct (peak)
12	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	85	Oct (peak)
13	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	81	May (past peak)
14	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	79	Apr (past peak)
15	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	76	Jan (past peak)
16	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	76	Dec (rising)
17	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	73	May (past peak)
18	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	72	Apr (past peak)
19	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	72	Jan (past peak)
20	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	69	Oct (peak)
21	Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	Plovers and Lapwings	68	May (past peak)
22	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	64	Aug (past peak)
23	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	64	Aug (past peak)
24	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	63	Feb (past peak)
25	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falcons and Caracaras	62	Oct (peak)
26	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	62	Apr (past peak)
27	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	59	Aug (past peak)
28	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	59	Mar (past peak)
29	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	57	Jan (past peak)
30	Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Sandpipers and Allies	55	May (past peak)
31	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	54	Jan (past peak)
32	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Feb (past peak)
33	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	51	Apr (past peak)
34	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	50	Oct (peak)
35	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	50	Jul (past peak)
36	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	49	Oct (peak)
37	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	49	Oct (peak)
38	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	48	Mar (past peak)
39	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	47	Oct (peak)
40	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	46	Oct (peak)
41	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	46	Apr (past peak)
42	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	46	May (past peak)
43	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	46	Jan (past peak)
44	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	45	Apr (past peak)
45	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	45	Feb (past peak)
46	Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	44	Aug (past peak)
47	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	43	Apr (past peak)
48	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	42	Mar (past peak)
49	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	42	Apr (past peak)
50	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	42	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Delaware in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Delaware in October