Saturday my wife, son, and I took a trip to Delaware shore to see what was happening in the way of Horseshoe Crabs.  Highlights:
  a.. Bombay Hook:  Avocets (100+), Black-necked Stilts, Skimmer, Bald Eagle
  b.. :Port Mahon Road:  Very few shorebirds and HS Crabs.  Did see a large number of Ruddy Turnstones just before the fishing pier.
  c.. Mispillion Lighthouse Area:  HS Crabs on road.  Good seeing a large flock of Red Knots flying and on the beach.  As usual there were many, many gulls.
  d.. Slaughter Beach:  Low tide.  A large number of shore birds.  Some HS Crabs at high tide edge of beach.  None on the flat exposed during Low tide.  
  e.. Horseshoe Crab Festival in Milton:  The first time festival was small and seemed to be feeling its way.  I hope they try again and perhaps add more concessions including some with food.  Is there such a thing as HS Crab Soup?  I once heard a man tell how he tried to eat a HS Crab.  He put on a pot of water, added some Old Bay and then threw in a HS Crab.  He said that there was little to eat but in the legs and it "tasted terrible".   Maybe a crab (of undetermined origin) soup offering would do. The DNR people with whom I spoke said that this was the best spawning spring they have had in years and that bird populations "seemed to be up".  They were opomistic about the effects of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's ban on collecting HS Crabs in May until June 7 and the limit placed on landings.  Education is the ticket and they performed a delightful skit from their DNR curriculum, "Green Eggs and Sand".  
    For one to whom peeps always present more than a challenge, hours could be spent learning and sorting both at Bombay Hook and Slaughter Beach.  

Ben Poscover
Towson, Maryland