Shorebird watchers along Delaware’s bayshore had reason to celebrate this spring, as red knot numbers came in stronger than they have in recent years.
The Delaware Shorebird Project recorded close to 2,000 red knots at Mispillion Harbor on May 11 — early in the migratory stopover period — while flocks spotted on the New Jersey side of the bay were comparatively sparse. That early count turned out to be a sign of things to come.
As the season progressed, tallies at Mispillion Harbor consistently exceeded 1,000 birds, eventually reaching a peak count of 3,000 red knots on May 20.
Perhaps most encouraging to wildlife observers was that the red knot flocks remained along the Delaware Bayshore for the duration of the migration season — a departure from the pattern seen in recent years, when the birds had not lingered as long in the area.
