• Laughing gull - gray with a black hood, or head. Winters in southern U.S. and arrives in Sussex county in early spring.

• Herring gull - white and gray Ring-billed gull - white and gray, black on its wing tips and black ring around bill.

• Great black-backed gull - largest of the gulls, 65-inch wingspread. Stays in Delaware year-round. Neck, belly, tail and sides white, back slate and wing tips, black.

• Terns - feed on live fish, which they catch by diving into the water. Common tern, white and gray with a black and red beak, Forster’s tern, similar but with a black and yellow beak.

• Black skimmer - 20 inches long and black and white with red and black beak. Feeds in small flocks, skimming along water to catch fish.

• Osprey - after being endangered by DDT, making a comeback. Fish eater, dives for prey. Wings, up to 66 inches across, appear bent. Brown and white with noticeable black stripe across eyes. In spring and early summer, common over bay areas. As summer progresses, ventures farther over the ocean.

• Sanderlings - common sights on the beach, running along water’s edge. Here in the spring and late summer. About 8 2/3 inches long, white stripes on its wings.

• Willet - up to 13 inches long, long legs – 5 inches. Nests in marshes eats sand fleas, fiddler crabs and the like. Striking black and white striped wings and calls out "pill-willet-willet," giving it its name.

• American oyster catcher - about the size of willet, and also frequents shorelines. Bright red bill, about 3 inches long and the thickness of a fat pencil.

• Piping plover - endangered. Light gray. Nesting areas at Cape Henlopen State Park off limits.

Editor's Note: Of course this saltwater area supports many more species than are listed here. Those mentioned are the ones who most probably provoke the visitor's curiosity the most. For more information, Delaware Audubon Society or Delaware Birdline.

• Whelks - Varieties include the lighting whelk, channeled whelk and the knobbed whelk. Often referred to as conch, this shell is common in the inlets and offshore waters. Eight to 10 inches in size, they are often found along beaches after storms.

• Giant Atlantic Heart Cockle - A bivalve (two shells) with white, tan to rose coloring. Sized three to four inches, these shells are commonly found just off shore along the shallow waters at inlets. Paired shells have a shape resembling a heart, thus its nickname.

• Eastern Oyster - Sized up to eight inches, pearly inside-white variety of exterior shapes and colors. Common to intertidal areas.

• Common Blue Mussel Bivalve - Approximately three inches in size, this is one of very few blue shells. It can be found in clumps on the beaches and jetties. The shell has an iridescent interior.

• Pen Shell - The pen shell is 10 inches in size. Its meat is edible and the shell is very delicate. It can produce a valuable pearl. Usually found after storms and common to the bays and calm areas.

• Calico Scallop - Sized three inches, this bivalve is colored in blotches with stripes of red, pink and yellow. Popular for jewelry and crafts.

• Whale’s Eye - This univalve, between two and four inches in size, is also called moon snail or shark’s eye. Gray to beige, the shell is common on beaches. Hermit crabs love this shell.

• Sun and Moon (Atlantic Sea Scallop) - Measuring between 4-6 inches in size, this shell is a favorite seafood. Found in beds, one side is pinkish brown and the other white.

• Quahog Clam - Between two to three inches in size, the Quahog Clam is an edible bivalve that can be found in mud flats.

• Atlantic Starfish - Found from Nova Scotia to Florida. If they loose a leg they grow another. Starfish can be found during the spring mating season along the shores edge.

• Sea Horses - Found from Mass. To southern South America. The male has the babies. There are several varieties depending on the exact area. You can tell the area by the color and the size.

• Sand Dollars - Local sand dollars do not have any holes in them. They are found Maine to South Carolina in shallow flats. They are thicker and much harder than the Florida sand dollar.