Spring Birding on Delaware Bay - Horseshoe Crab Spawning Season

The Delaware Bay serves as a crucial stopover for a variety of shorebird species during their migratory journey, particularly in the springtime which coincides with the horseshoe crab spawning season.

This period is marked by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs along the bay's beaches, where they lay their eggs in the sand. The abundance of horseshoe crab eggs provides a vital food source for the shorebirds, aiding in their migration.

Among the most notable visitors are the red knots, ruddy turnstones, semipalmated sandpipers, sanderlings, and dunlins. These birds, some traveling from as far as South America, time their arrival to match the peak of the crab spawning season, which typically occurs from late April through June, with the highest activity in May.

The red knot, in particular, is a species of great interest due to its dramatic long-distance migration and reliance on the crab eggs to fuel its journey to the Arctic breeding grounds.

The conservation of both the horseshoe crabs and their spawning grounds is essential for the survival of these migratory shorebirds, as the eggs are packed with protein and fatty acids, crucial for the birds to build up their energy reserves.

Observing these shorebirds can be a remarkable experience, but it is important to do so from a distance to avoid disturbing their feeding and resting.

The Delaware Bay region, with its rich ecological resources, plays a significant role in the life cycle of these migratory marvels, making it a site of both scientific interest and natural wonder.

On the Delaware side of the bay at Mispillion Harbor, the Dupont Nature Center offers an excellent vantage point for observers. The center's observation deck and live cam provide up-close views of horseshoe crabs, shorebirds, and other wildlife.

Other notable viewing spots include Slaughter Beach, Kitts Hummock, and Pickering Beach, where the crabs come ashore to lay their eggs, and shorebirds stop to refuel during their long migrations.

It's important to follow all beach access rules and observe the wildlife from a distance to minimize disturbance.

For those who are less mobile, Port Mahon Road offers an opportunity to view the shorebirds and crabs from a vehicle.

On the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay, Cape May is a prime location for nature enthusiasts to witness the remarkable phenomenon of shorebird migration during the horseshoe crab spawning season.

Along Cape May Point, Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, Cape May State Park, and other beach access points provide opportunities to spot shorebirds.

The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor offers a special event known as the Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Celebration Days, which takes place in May.

This event features a variety of programs, including guided shorebird viewing experiences, beginner birding walks, pontoon boat cruises, horseshoe crab survey and rescue walks, educational workshops and presentations, and more.

Another notable event is the Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival hosted by The Wetlands Institute, highlighting the spring shorebird migration and horseshoe crab spawning with guided programs around Seven Mile Island and the Delaware Bayshore.

Things To Do In Delaware

Lighthouse near Lewes DE

This post includes examples of things to do in Delaware USA. 

Delaware Beaches

Delaware has a great selection of beaches for bathing, swimming, shell collecting, fishing, and other recreation.

Popular Delaware beaches include Broadkill Beach, Lewes, Indian River Inlet, Rehobeth, Dewey Beach, and Fenwick.

Many Delaware coastal towns have boardwalks, shopping and beachfront dining. Delaware also has state parks that offer beach access and a variety of activities.

Saltwater Fishing

Delaware Bay is known for its outstanding saltwater fishing. Anglers catch striped bass, weakfish, croakers, black drum, porgies, sheepshead, flounder, black sea bass, tautog, sharks, and other saltwater species.

Annual Events

Popular annual events in Delaware include the state fair in Harrington, NASCAR races, music festivals, food festivals, and many others.

Delaware Birdwatching

Songbirds

The First State is visited by large numbers of songbirds. The marshes, wildflowers, and areas of brush provide ideal nesting and feeding habitat. Other songbirds inhabit the tall pine forests of Delaware. Warblers, nut hatches, sparrows, red wing blackbirds and others nest on the refuge in the summer, while cardinals, jays, woodpeckers and finches reside during the winter months.

Shorebirds

Herons, egrets, ibises, oyster crackers, marsh hens and other shorebirds are frequently spotted along the marshes of Delaware Bay. 

Delaware Bay beaches are famous for their spring bird migrations. Each year, countless numbers of ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, red knots, piping plovers, gulls, and other birds converge along Delaware Bay shorelines to feed on horseshoe crab eggs. Peak action usually occurs in mid to late May.

Birds of Prey

Delaware is visited by a number of birds of prey. Ospreys arrive in the spring to raise young and feed on the abundant fish stocks. As seasons change, some ospreys migrate south while other birds of prey migrate into the fields and forests of Delaware for the winter. American eagles, red tailed hawks and other large hunters are present in fall thru spring. Other hawks such as sparrow hawks may be found year-round.

Waterfowl

Ducks, geese, brant and swans all make stops in the marshes and refuges of Delaware. In the refuges, geese and swans take up residence year-round. Other full-time residents include black ducks which raise their young in the refuge and marshes.

In autumn, migrating ducks and geese visits Delaware wetlands. Arriving are shoveler ducks, pintails, mallards, widgeons, teal, rudy ducks, canvasbacks, redheads, ring necked ducks, bluebills, and others. Mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneyes, and other diving ducks show up in the bay waters as cold weather sets in. Off the coast, rafts of sea ducks forage along the shoals over the winter.

Pelagic Birds

The waters off the Delaware coast are visited by up to 30 species of pelagic birds including albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels, phalaropes, skuas, jaegers, gulls, terns and alcids. These birds migrate along the offshore waters, many never see land on the eastern seaboard.

Delaware Facts

Delaware is one of the smaller states on the USA east coast, known as the "first state".

Delaware is the 49th state in the nation in terms of size at 1,982 square miles. Delaware is 96 miles long and from 9 to 35 miles wide.

The state is divided into New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County.

Most of the state is situated on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Delaware's state fish is the weakfish.

Dover Motor Speedway is known as the "Monster Mile" for its high banking turns and narrow straightaways.

The speedway's "Miles the Monster" statue is the largest fiberglass monster in the world.

The Cape May-Lewes Ferry carries vehicles and passengers across the Delaware Bay between Lewes, Delaware and Cape May, New Jersey.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a marvel of engineering. The 14-mile-long, 450-foot-wide, 35-foot-deep ship canal connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay.

Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Sale Proposal

offshore wind lease sites - Central Atlantic | credit: BOEM

On December 11, 2023, the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the proposal of an offshore wind lease sale in the Central Atlantic.

The Department has held four recent offshore wind lease auctions, which have brought in almost $5.5 billion in high bids, including a record-breaking sale offshore New York and New Jersey and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

BOEM has also advanced the process to explore additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the U.S., including in the Gulf of Maine and offshore Oregon. The agency has taken steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.

The proposed lease sale includes one area offshore the States of Delaware and Maryland, and one area offshore the Commonwealth of Virginia. Lease Area A-2 consists of 101,443 acres and is approximately 26.4 nautical miles (nm) from Delaware Bay. Lease Area C-1 consists of 176,505 acres and is approximately 35 nm from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

BOEM is seeking public comments on which, if any, of the two lease areas should be offered in a lease sale next year. These areas have the potential to power over 2.2 million homes with clean energy. BOEM partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based ocean planning model that assisted in the selection of the final WEAs.

In July 2023, BOEM announced three Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas (WEAs), while indicating that WEA B-1 still needed more study. The December sale notice does not include WEA B-1, which is located approximately 23.5 nm offshore Ocean City, MD. BOEM has removed that WEA from this proposed lease sale due to the significant costs and mitigation that would be required. However, WEA B-1 may be considered as part of a potential second lease sale in the Central Atlantic, which could occur as soon as 2025.  

The Proposed Sale Notice, which will publish in the Federal Register, initiates a 60-day public comment period and contains information about the areas available for leasing, certain lease provisions and conditions, auction details, criteria for evaluating competing bids and procedures for lease award, appeals and lease execution.

BOEM is seeking feedback on several lease stipulations that would reaffirm its commitment to create good-paying jobs and engage with ocean users and other stakeholders.

Some of these potential stipulations include:

Providing bidding credits to bidders that commit to supporting workforce training programs for the offshore wind industry, developing a domestic supply chain for the offshore wind industry or a combination of both. 

Providing bidding credits to bidders that establish and contribute to a fisheries compensatory mitigation fund or contribute to an existing fund to mitigate potential negative impacts from offshore wind development in the Central Atlantic to commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries. 

In addition, BOEM is preparing a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts from lease issuance within the Central Atlantic WEAs. The publication of the draft EA is forthcoming and will be available for review and public comment, according to BOEM.

More information on the Central Atlantic PSN can be found at BOEM’s website at www.boem.gov.

Bulls Island Recreation Area Trail

Bulls Island Recreation Area
Credit: Erica Vavrence, D&R Canal Commission

New Jersey recently opened a new 1.3 mile trail along the Delaware River at the Bulls Island Recreation Area, according to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Located along the Delaware River, the trail overlooks one of the most scenic and historic portions of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. 

The Delaware River was once a critical transportation route. Currently, the river provides 100 million gallons of drinking water daily for 1 million residents in Central New Jersey.

More than 400 native trees and shrub species, as well as 250 native wildflowers, have been planted along the trail to help reforest the area with native flora.

The plantings were done with assistance from a variety of partners including the Delaware Township Environmental Commission, Kingwood Township Environmental Commission, Lower Wild and Scenic Delaware River Committee, AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program, Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission, and the New Jersey Forest Service.

From the trail in the northern section of the island, park patrons will be able to see white-capped water as it rushes over the Delaware River wing dam, diverting river water into the nearby feeder canal, and view the original towpath of the 188-year-old canal.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal, listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, is valued for its natural beauty, recreational opportunities and the reliable supply of drinking water it provides to more than 1 million people per day. The canal region also is home to hundreds of species of wildlife, birds and plants.

The canal is the heart of the 7,131-acre Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park, which is widely regarded as the second most popular among the more than 50 parks, forests and recreation areas within the State Park Service.

The 79-acre Bulls Island Recreation Area is approximately three miles north of Stockton, within Delaware Township.

In 2019, the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission convened a working group of colleagues within the DEP’s Division of State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites to devise a plan that would allow the northern section of the island, previously a campground, to revert to its natural state while also giving visitors access to the canal’s priceless history and enhancing recreational opportunities.

The new trail, shaped like a lollipop, was achieved with minimal tree cutting and encompasses an existing paved road.

To further enhance the new trail, the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission directed mitigation funds from other state tree-removal projects toward planting new trees including sugar maples, red maples, tulip poplar, white oak, flowering dogwood, Common hackberry and witch hazel.

These new trees help provide a lush understory, supporting wildlife that migrate through or reside in the area.

In March, the DEP in partnership with the Trails Task Force of the New Jersey Geospatial Forum announced the release of a first phase of  a statewide inventory of public trails in New Jersey.

The inventory uses information provided by government agencies and nonprofits to improve, expand and better connect the state’s expansive network of trails, thereby improving trails access for all New Jersey residents.

Additionally, the inventory’s data will help planners and advocates identify areas of focus in the state, prioritizing projects and acquisitions that will link to larger trails and advance goals of the New Jersey Trails Plan.

For more about New Jersey state parks, forests and historic sites, visit www.njparksandforests.org.

source: NJ Department of Environmental Protection

Barnegat Lighthouse Restoration

Barnegat Lighthouse | credit: USCG

Barnegat Lighthouse will be closed to visitors for approximately seven months for a $1.3 million restoration of the historic lighthouse, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The lighthouse closure began Monday, March 14. Construction work through October will involve a complete exterior restoration of the lighthouse, masonry recoating and repairs to the brick facade, interior lantern steel platform repairs, roof repairs, and the installation of new windows. 

The lighthouse will remain dark for the duration of the project being done by Spartan Construction General Contracting, Inc. of South Amboy.

Scaffolding will also be erected for the entire height of the lighthouse. The restoration project is funded by the Corporate Business Tax.

As part of the restoration effort, the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse will donate a new beacon light for the lighthouse as well as new security fencing. 

After being decommissioned in 1927, the Barnegat Lighthouse sat dark until January 1, 2009 when the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse donated the current light.

Located on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, the Barnegat Lighthouse is one of the signature destinations along the Jersey shore and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park will remain open during the renovation, including the park office, interpretive center, fisherman’s walkway, and trails. During the restoration, Americans with Disabilities Act access will not be available along the fisherman’s walkway.

Barnegat Lighthouse State Park is a popular destination for fishing, hiking, birding, picnicking, and other outdoor recreation.

Lighthouse enthusiasts can visit several historic navigational aids in New Jersey including Twin Lights Historic Site in Highlands, Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, and Cape May Lighthouse in Cape May Point.

More information about New Jersey’s parks, forests, and historic sites can be found at www.njparksandforests.org.

source: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)