Delaware Bay 2024

Is this year different?  Yes, because the birds that did come to the stopover left early and in good condition.  Most knots left by May 26, a good omen for this year’s production.  ¨ Unfortunately, it is also different because we saw 8,000 fewer knots than last year and half of what we saw in 2018 and 2019.  

In the last few days, during the full moon spring tide, horseshoe crabs carpeted the beaches of the lower Cape. 

Resisting this tide of unreality underscores the urgent need for sensible conservation efforts to stop the never-ending killing of horseshoe crabs.

The short answer is it is too early to tell, but one thing is clear: this year will likely differ from all the previous years of our 27 years of research and protection.