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.

Bird Festivals 2017 - Mid Atlantic Region

royal terns

This article includes bird festivals and other birding events that will take place in the Mid Atlantic region during 2017.

Each year, national wildlife refuges host bird festivals throughout the Mid Atlantic region. Most Mid Atlantic national wildlife refuges are located along the Atlantic Flyway, an important migratory bird route. Many festivals coincide with spring or fall migration.

Mid Atlantic bird and birdwatching festivals are also hosted by cities, towns, state parks, and birding organizations.

Winter Wildlife Festival
Virginia Beach VA
​​​​January 20 - 22, 2017
presented by Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries​

Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend
27-28-29, 2017
The 2nd Annual Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend will be held January 27-28-29, 2017.

Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake - Suffok, VA
April 20-22, 2017
The Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival is held during the height of the spring neotropical songbird migration. The festival is part of International Migratory Bird Day.

Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend
April 27-28-29-30, 2017
The 22nd Annual Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend will be held April 27-28-29-30, 2017.

International Migratory Bird Day
May 2017
International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) celebrates the migration of nearly 350 species of migratory birds between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. This year, many events will take place on May 13.

Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival
The Wetlands Institute
Cape May, New Jersey
May 20-21, 2017
The Wetlands Institute in Cape May will host the 5th Annual Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival, May 20-21, 2017.

Cape May Spring Festival
May 19-21, 2017

Wings over Water Festival
Manteo, NC
October 17-22, 2017
This multi-day festival features field trips to five national wildlife refuges: Pea Island, Alligator River, Mattamuskeet, Pocosin Lakes and Mackay Island.

Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival
Cape Charles, VA
October 2017
Based in Cape Charles, Virginia, the Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival coincides with the peak of fall bird migration in a coastal environment.

International Bird Observatory Conference 2017
Cape May, New Jersey
October 26, 2017 to October 30, 2017
www.njaudubon.org

Refuge Waterfowl Week
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Chincoteague Island, VA
November 19-26, 2017
During Refuge Waterfowl Week, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will offer guided walks, tours, and other special events to mark the fall migration of waterfowl to the refuge.

Related Information

Chesapeake Bay Birds

2016 Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival

Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival
May 28, 2016 - 10am - 4pm
Milton Memorial Park
Milton, Delaware
www.HistoricMilton.com

The Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival celebrates horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, long considered by many to be a natural wonder of Delaware Bay.

The annual Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival often draws 1,500-plus visitors who annually enjoy arts and crafts, as well as an art show, boat rides down the Broadkill River, canoe trips on Prime Hook Creek, games, food, music, and more.

This year, the event is sponsored by the Milton Chamber of Commerce and Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge.

A shuttle bus will be available to transport visitors to and from the Refuge. For more information, www.historicmilton.com or call the Milton Chamber of Commerce at 302-684-1101.

Delmarva Birding Weekend 2016

Delmarva Birding Weekend
January 29 - January 31, 2016

Oystercatchers

The annual Delmarva Birding Winter Weekend celebrates songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors that are seen on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Winter Weekend activities include boat and hiking trips with a special emphasis on winter birds.

The Delmarva Peninsula possesses an extensive variety of environments, including barrier islands, tidal wetlands, cypress swamps, upland fields and primeval forests.

Field trips take place in the land and water that feed into the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and the Atlantic coastal bays. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the region.

For more information, visit www.delmarvabirding.com

Scotton Landing Fishing Pier (Delaware - St. Jones River)

In Delaware, Scotton Landing Fishing Pier is now open to the public, according to DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. The recently renovated pier has a new wooden deck and handrails.

Located on the tidal St. Jones River in Delaware, the pier is a popular location for fishing, crabbing, birdwatching, and other activities.

Scotton Landing Fishing Pier is owned and maintained by the Division of Fish & Wildlife. For more information, please call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

source: DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife

Things To Do in Harpers Ferry West Virginia

Harpers Ferry West Virginia is one of the best kept secrets in the Mid Atlantic region. Steeped in history, this small town offers an incredible array of outdoor recreation.

This friendly town's appeal is due mostly to its geographic location. Harpers Ferry is located at the junction of two of America's most famous rivers; the Potomac and Shenandoah.

Things to do outdoors in Harpers Ferry West Virginia include hiking, biking, rafting, tubing, kayaking, fishing, birdwatching, camping, tours of the town, and many other activities.

Not to be overlooked are things to do indoors, including shopping, dining, and museum tours. History buffs can tour the John Brown Wax Museum, Brunswick Heritage Museum, Jefferson County Museum, and Civil War Living History Museum.

Harpers Ferry and other nearby towns host a number of festivals and other events throughout the year, including the Harpers Ferry Outdoor Festival, American Conservation Film Festival, African American Heritage Festival, Mountain Heritage Festival, and others.

Visitors to Harpers Ferry generally find local services to be good. The town has bed and breakfasts, restaurants, cafe's, specialty shops, river outfitters, fishing guides, hiking and biking shops, gift shops, bookstores, and more.

Related Information

Harpers Ferry Kayaking

Snowy Owls in Delaware

Snowy Owl

Snowy owls have appeared in Delaware recently.

Snowy owls range from nearly all white (adult males) to white with many dark bars across the forehead, breast and belly (juvenile female), and have a distinctive black beak. Adult females and juvenile males display a mixed coloration.

Snowy owls have a wingspan of up to 5 feet. Males are smaller than the females.

Typically, snowy owls prey on small rodents called lemmings, which are known for their drastic population fluctuations.

When lemming populations fluctuate, snowy owls may irrupt, or disperse widely, in order to find alternative food sources.

Snowy owl irruptions may also occur when high lemming populations enable snowy owls to produce large broods that are unsupportable locally.

In either event, this year, snowy owls appear to be dispersing well beyond their normal range.

Snowy owls in Delaware are not unheard of, according to DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist Anthony Gonzon: "In any given year, one or two owls may show up throughout the course of the entire winter. For example, a single snowy owl was observed in late 2012 near Rehoboth Beach, but it remained here only for a short time.

"This year, however, is quickly shaping up to be extraordinary and unprecedented,” Gonzon said. "Over the course of six days surrounding Thanksgiving, at least six snowy owls have been sighted, providing Delawareans a great opportunity to share in this phenomenon."

In particular, the owls seen along Delaware Seashore State Park have remained in the same general area since being first observed on Friday, Nov. 29, providing hundreds of visitors from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey many opportunities to see and photograph them.

Snowy owls have also been spotted along Route 9 near Port Penn, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, Port Mahon Road near Little Creek, and Cape Henlopen State Park.

source: Delaware, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife

2013 National Wildlife Refuge Week Events - Mid-Atlantic Region

The Big Sit!
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, PA
Sunday, October 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Big Sit! is one of the nation's most popular bird counts. During the annual event, teams count and report bird species seen or heard from a 17-foot-diameter circle.

“Go Wild,”
Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, VA (Hutchinson Tract)
Sunday, October 13, 1 to 5 p.m.

Events include bluebird house building, a guided kayak tour, and more, hosted by Friens of Rappahannock Wildlife Refuge Friends. 

Wildlife Festival
Patuxent Research Refuge, MD
Saturday, October 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Enjoy live animals, ,children’s crafts, tram tours, scientific demonstrations and behind-the-scenes research tours of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center located on the refuge.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

2013 National Wildlife Refuge Week Events - Mid-Atlantic Region

The following National Wildlife Refuge Week Events are scheduled in the Mid-Atlantic region:

The Big Sit!
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, PA
Sunday, October 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Big Sit! is one of the nation's most popular bird counts. During the annual event, teams count and report bird species seen or heard from a 17-foot-diameter circle.

“Go Wild,”
Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge, VA (Hutchinson Tract)
Sunday, October 13, 1 to 5 p.m.

Events include bluebird house building, a guided kayak tour, and more, hosted by Friens of Rappahannock Wildlife Refuge Friends. 

Wildlife Festival
Patuxent Research Refuge, MD
Saturday, October 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Enjoy live animals, ,children’s crafts, tram tours, scientific demonstrations and behind-the-scenes research tours of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center located on the refuge.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Mid Atlantic Bird Icons

osprey

Birds are commonly recognized as icons of the Mid Atlantic region. Waterfowl, shorebirds, birds of prey and songbirds are all represented in the list of icons for the area.

Along the coast, herons, egrets and other shorebirds have long been recognized as icons. Canada geese, snow geese, brant, and a variety of ducks are also familiar symbols of the Mid Atlantic region's seasonal migrations.

In the Chesapeake Bay and other estuaries, the osprey is a popular icon. These seasonal birds of prey are famous for their ability to catch fish as well as their familiar nests.

Closer to the Atlantic, bald eagles are common and are often seen on regional logos and other artwork. Their white heads, large size, and other attributes attract the attention of artists.

Songbirds are also important in Mid Atlantic culture. Several songbirds are state birds or have cultural significance in other ways. Several songbirds are school mascots or icons of professional sports in the area.

Some of the most famous songbird icons of the Mid Atlantic include the Baltimore oriole, northern cardinal, eastern bluebird, wood thrush, and eastern goldfinch.