Backyard birds in Dover, Delaware
Which birds visit Dover yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Dover's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 39.158°, -75.524°
- Population
- 39,403
- June 21 daylight
- 14 h 56 min
- December 21 daylight
- 9 h 25 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:26 AM / 5:35 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 7a–8a
Nesting timing in Dover
The state guides give nesting windows for Delaware as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 39.6°N). Dover is at 39.2°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Dover goes from 9 h 25 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 14 h 56 min in June, a 5 h 31 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window April–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window April–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Carolina Chickadee — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
Birds you can expect in Dover
Year-round residents (53)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Song Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, American Crows, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Northern Bobwhites, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Killdeers, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Horned Larks, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (48)
Purple Martins, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Chipping Sparrows, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Ospreys, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos
Winter visitors (22)
Purple Finchs, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Pine Siskins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Tree Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Swamp Sparrows, White-winged Crossbills, Rusty Blackbirds
Mild winters with modest snow; coastal marshes draw huge numbers of wintering sparrows and blackbirds.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Dover
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Dover, sunrise is around 6:26 AM in mid-April, 5:35 AM at the June solstice and 7:17 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Dover yards
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Nearby cities in Delaware
- Middletown — 23 mi away, nesting about the same time as Dover
- Bear — 33 mi away, nesting about the same time as Dover
- Newark — 38 mi away, nesting about the same time as Dover
- Wilmington — 41 mi away, nesting about the same time as Dover
Frequently asked
What birds live in Dover all year?
Year-round residents across Delaware include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in Dover.
When do birds start nesting in Dover?
Dover sits at a different latitude from Delaware's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Dover?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Dover, sunrise is around 6:26 AM in mid-April and 5:35 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Delaware
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.