Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knots - 2018
Set out yesterday to see the onslaught of spawning Horseshoe Crabs and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Red Knots on their journey north. The Red Knots have always been too far to see well enough for capturing photographs, or I am not in the right place at the right time. I visited Slaughter Beach, DuPont Nature Center, Pickering Beach and Port Mahon. Horseshoe Crabs were found in all locations along with Ruddy Turnstone, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Port Mahon additionally had various species of gulls and Cormorants. DuPont Nature Center resulted in Red Knots along with various other shorebirds and the ‘Delaware Shorebird Project’ team was in place and actively counting/assessing shorebirds. Their catch nets sent 1000’s of birds air born – quite a spectacle to see.
For more information on the Delaware Shorebird Project: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Shorebirds/Pages/AboutShorebirds.aspx
