previous update
Dear Team
The situation improved today. Megan Kolk, one of our resighters this year, found a flock of 2000 with new flag codes at Moores beach. The morning recce showed the lowest numbers of the previous four days. Less than a thousand reeds to pierces. Megan’s discovery may point to more birds.
Megan also found 2000 + birds missing from the low tide flats at Norbury after leaving Cooks and Baycove because of repeated Peregrine attacks. From Norburys they flew north to the shoreline between Norburys and the Rutgers Lab. It is a heavily eroded and isolated sand island with a big flat, made inaccessible by two deep tidal creeks and open in almost all directions.
A banded Peregrine Falcon on Delaware Bay after hunting shorebirds
We caught birds yesterday and today both at Thompsons Beach, south of the eroded bulkhead. Yesterday we made a catch of 63 knots, 38 ruddy turnstones, and about 55 sanderlings. Today we caught about 88 turnstones and another 50 sanderlings. So altogether, we are keeping track of all three species. The knots seemed in satisfactory condition, several above 180 grams but only ten above the 160-gram threshold. So it seems the birds that are here are gaining even in the cool early May. The weather is warming so the sea is getting more suitable and the high tides are getting better so conditions should be good for new arrivals.
water temperature plot from NOAA for Delaware Bay
Katie Mitchell estimates that she gets one horseshoe crab cluster per sample in north reeds and the shoals, which is about 25/sq meter. The pre overharvest number in 1986 was 60/sq meter, but a good year now is 25/sq meter so that we might surpass the average egg cluster densities of previous years. Last year’s egg densities were similar to previous years but in June.
Red knot with Satellite tag shortly after release. Photo by Charles Duncan
Stepanie and Theo attached nine satellite transmitters yesterday. Movement data will be available in 3 days. We hope to attach the other 8 in the next catch, possibly Saturday.
Walter Chew, a cranky old man from Villas NJ, who finds value in stopping the protection of the shorebird concentration area, is still making trouble down at Norburys. He enjoys pulling down or destroying signs nearly every day for no apparent reason except to stop protection for wildlife and some personal red state paranoia. Ren sat down with him two days yesterday and he admitted doing it because he is acting on some cause in his head. The Conservation Officers won’t stop him. We might take a different tack to stop him.
Check out Chiara Eisener’s new Article on Charles River, a multinational bleeding crabs from a variety of places including Delaware Bay.
Tomorrow’s recce might bring more birds.
Larry and the NJ Delaware Bay Team.
