SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.- Taking in the scenery in Sussex County is a great hobby whether you walk the beaches, boardwalks, or nature trails. But what if you spent a day keeping an eye on the skies for birds?
That is exactly what some people did Sunday at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Henlopen State Park. It was the 57th annual Christmas Bird Count at both sites and the weather presented a challenge early on.
"Days like this the birds like to stay and cover," Compiler Bruce Peterjohn said. "So then, if it is a warmer day they will be out and easily found. Today, the birds are mostly going to be under cover and only come out to feed and then go back into cover."
Participants arrived at Prime Hook at about 5:30 this morning which they tell me is around the time that owls could be seen. With a break in the rain around 10:30, counters including Russ Kovach of Harford County, Maryland walked through the fields to see what they could find.
"Earlier in the day we saw shore birds, Dunland and Dowitchers and Yellow Legs," Kovah said. "But then, when we walked that field back there, we were mainly looking for sparrows which a lot of people would say they are little brown birds. But there is actually a little bit of variation in them."
No matter how bad the weather might be, people enjoy seeing the beautiful birds that fly through the Sussex County skies.