Blog Archives

5/26/2012

On Memorial Day

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

From the West Coast to the East Coast, we enjoy the beauty of our beaches thanks to the national safety provided by our Armed Forces.

In the middle of all the excitement of a Memorial Day Parade, or on the outer edges of a beach full of multi-colored beach umbrellas, or sitting in front row seats watching bright fireworks fragment in the night air, we sometimes forget what Memorial Day is all about.

Memorial Day is a time of remembering, a time of thankful praise for a courageous job well done, and a time to offer prayers for the well-being of all military families.

We truly live in the home of the brave, and America's service personnel and their families deserve the best of everything. On this Memorial Day and every day, remember to say, "Thank you for your service" or "Thank you for protecting my family and me" whenever you meet someone in uniform. Just as important are the kind words, smiles, and help that you offer to all the military families that you meet as you thank them for their sacrifice for us.

6 Comments

5/19/2012

Migratory Birds Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs

Every Spring . . .
Migratory Shore Birds Stop to Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs Along the Delaware Bay Beaches Before Continuing Their Arduous Flight North

Red Knots As Seen in Wikipedia May, 2012.

Throughout the year Delaware's ocean and bay beaches provide some of the best birdwatching experiences on the Mid-Atlantic Coast, but spring and fall migratory seasons attract thousands of bird enthusiasts hoping to see birds on the endangered species list. One of the most remarkable of those birds is the Calidris canutus rufa, commonly called the red knot shorebird.

About the size of a robin, red knot shorebirds travel more than 9300 miles from South America to North America, stopping over for two weeks along the Delaware Bay beaches to feed on the translucent green eggs being laid by the horseshoe crabs (see last week's post below). Then the red knots continue migrating north to the Canadian Arctic to breed.

Little is known about the juvenile red knots after they leave the Arctic until they return to the Delaware Bay two years later. In 2006, because of declining red knot populations, the species was named a candidate for the endangered species list. A decision should be announced later this year. Scientists believe the health and vitality of the birds is directly related to their refueling stopover on the Delaware Bay. The eggs of the horseshoe crabs provide valuable fat reserves for the birds' long flight north and contributes to the health of the new Arctic hatchlings. One reason their numbers may have dropped before 2006 may have been because of overfishing of the crabs, reducing the numbers of eggs for the shore birds to eat. New regulations now limit the number of crabs permitted to be taken and the time period in which they may be trapped.

Adult shorebirds have begun arriving at the Delaware Beaches and the next two weeks will provide great birdwatching, especially at these bay beaches and wildlife reserves: Bombay Hook, Port Mahon Beach, Kitts Hummock, Ted Harvey Wildlife Area, Bowers Beach, South Bowers Beach, Slaughter Beach, Fowlers Beach, and Broadkill Beach.

2 Comments

5/11/2012

Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

Horseshoe Crabs Inundate the Delaware Bay Shoreline

Delaware Bay beaches come alive with activity in mid-May as migrating shorebirds fly in from Central and South America, horseshoe crabs swim ashore to lay their eggs, and census takers count the number of crabs finding mates. The shorebirds refuel by feasting on the eggs that are half-buried in the sand and then continue their flight northward. The remaining eggs that are covered by sand will mature and hatch after a month or more of development, in relatively calm water when the moon is full. Waves sweep the half inch long crabs into shallow water where they stay for nearly a week until they are ready to molt. The young crabs then live in the nearby intertidal flats for the first two years of life.

During the full and new moons of late May and early June over a million horseshoe crabs appear on the beaches of the Delaware Bay. Most of them favor the beaches mid-way up the Delaware Bay, such as Pickering Beach, which often has the highest densities of horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's horseshoe crab census. Researchers counted an average of 27 horseshoe crabs per square meter at Pickering Beach during the peak of spawning season. Other beaches with large populations of horseshoe crabs are Mahon Beach, Kitts Hummock Beach, Fowlers Beach, Bowers Beach, Big Stone Beach, Slaughter Beach, and Prime Hook Beach. The highlighted beaches have been reviewed in my earlier blogs, and the other beaches will be reviewed in upcoming blogs.

Since 1990 the University of Delaware Sea Grant College Program sponsors a horseshoe crab census to estimate the population on Delaware beaches. The data from these annual crab counts provide a valuable management tool for long-term monitoring of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population. You can volunteer for the Annual Horseshoe Crab census by contacting Dr. Bill Hall (Delaware) at (302) 645-4253 or by e-mail at bhall@udel.edu. An excellent source of information about the Delaware horseshoe crab population is the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment's website at http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/horseshoecrab.

6 Comments

5/5/2012

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Logo of the Partnership

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is one of 28 national estuary programs in the United States' coastal zones. Established in 1996 as a non-profit organization, the Partnership takes a leadership role in protecting and enhancing the Delaware Estuary, where fresh water from the Delaware River mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. Partners in three states, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, work with the organization's staff to increase awareness and understanding of the estuary and to share scientific knowledge and research about the Delaware Estuary.

The Partnership's mission is to lead collaborative and creative events that will educate the public and organizations about the Delaware Estuary and its tributaries in an effort to protect it for current and future generations. Activities are as varied as volunteer clean-ups of the local river banks and bay beaches to fundraisers and teacher education programs. Follow this link for a list of upcoming activities and information about the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary:

http://delawareestuary.org/who_we_are_the_estuary.asp

The Delaware Estuary Encompasses Areas of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

2 Comments

On Memorial Day

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

Migratory Birds Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs

Every Spring . . .
Migratory Shore Birds Stop to Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs Along the Delaware Bay Beaches Before Continuing Their Arduous Flight North

Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Author

Archives

Categories

On Memorial Day

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

Migratory Birds Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs

Every Spring . . .Migratory Shore Birds Stop to Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs Along the Delaware Bay Beaches Before Continuing Their Arduous Flight North

Horseshoe Crabs Annual Census on the Delaware Bay Beaches

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Author

Archives

Categories

A Salute from the Shore to All Veterans and Present Armed Forces Personnel:

You Have Made All of Our Beaches and Our Entire Homeland Safe Because of Your Bravery, Good Will, and Heroic Patriotism. Thank You Forever!

Every Spring . . .
Migratory Shore Birds Stop to Feast on Horseshoe Crab Eggs Along the Delaware Bay Beaches Before Continuing Their Arduous Flight North