To all,
	Jeff Gordon made a very thorough post of DE shorebirds resources on DE-birds a few days ago.  Since there have been multiple requests on Osprey for such info, I will post it in here.

Good Birding,
Glen Lovelace III
Seaford, DE

Jeff Gordon wrote:
Hello DE-BIRDs--

I'm re-posting a message I just put on BIRD-CHAT concerning where and  
how to find Red Knots and the other major players in our greatest  
annual wildlife spectacle. I'm taking the liberty of putting it on DE- 
BIRDs, too, as it's likely that out of state birders may look for such  
information here.

Good birding,

Jeff

Jeffrey Gordon
Lewes, DE


www.jeffreyagordon.com

Dear BIRD-CHAT--

Carol Laing  of Front Royal, VA wrote to BIRD-CHAT on 15 May 2008,  
"I'm going to Bethany Beach [Delaware] next week looking for Red Knots  
and Horseshoe crabs. Does one have to go to Cape May?. Are there  
places near Bethany Beach I could look for Knots and crabs[?] I'm  
looking to go as inexpensively as possible and thinking about riding  
the ferry across is not cheap."

I'm a longtime fan of Cape May, birding there every chance I get. I'm  
also a big supporter of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, which provides a  
convenient link between many of the great birding areas in the mid- 
Atlantic.

With that said, I'm going to put on my Delaware hat for a moment and  
say that the Delaware shore of Delaware Bay certainly offers excellent  
opportunities to experience the whole Horseshoe Crab/shorebird  
phenomenon.

In particular, the new duPont Nature Center at Slaughter Beach, DE is  
a great starting point. There, you can learn about the biology and  
ecology of the many players in this annual drama, while it unfolds all  
around the harbor just outside the door. I am aware of no other  
facility anywhere that can offer the whole package in this way, nor  
any other so focused on this spectacle.

Once you've gotten oriented at the nature center, you may well want to  
check out some of the local beaches where you can see birds even  
closer. (A vital caveat here: these birds need to eat and human  
disturbance should be kept to an absolute minimum. If you see them  
becoming nervous, or especially beginning to flush, you are too close.  
Please back off until they settle, then observe from there.) Some of  
these beaches include the north end of the town of Slaughter Beach  
(Knots have been present there recently in the dozens to low hundreds,  
sprinkled amongst thousands of Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, etc),  
Port Mahon Road (east of Dover) as well as other bay beach access  
roads like those at Pickering Beach, South Bowers Beach, and  
Broadkill, Fowler, and Prime Hook beaches. Cape Henlopen State Park  
near Lewes also offers the chance to see smaller numbers of horseshoe  
crabs & shorebirds, often including a few Red Knots (I saw perhaps  
half a dozen Knots there on Saturday--it's also a good spot for Piping  
Plover).

So far this year, there seems to be only a sprinkling of Knots on both  
sides of the bay, likely continuing the ominous trend of previous  
years. It's vital that we as birders become as educated as we can  
about the situation and make our voices heard. We in Delaware could  
use your help in pressing for a moratorium on crab harvesting; so far,  
we have been unable to get one to stick. New Jersey has done better.

Here are some links (on both sides of the Bay) for more information:

Delaware Birding Trail: http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/
See especially the horseshoe crab/shorebird page at: http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/species_spectacles.html
Also, the Slaughter Beach pages at: http://www.delawarebirdingtrail.org/dbc6.html

Info about the duPont Nature Center: http://www.dupontnaturecenter.blogspot.com/

On Saturday May 24, 2008, the town of Milton, DE, along with Prime  
Hook National Wildlife Refuge is holding its annual Horsehoe Crab/ 
Shorebird Festival. A pdf of the schedule is here: http://www.historicmilton.com/pdffiles/HSCrab08.pdf

A page about a local bird-a-thon fundraiser targeting the acquisition  
of bayshore habitat in Delaware: http://www.dosbirds.org/bird-a-thon/index.html

Cape May Bird Observatory's blog (which has a timely post from Don  
Freiday about Red Knot viewing in NJ): http://www.birdcapemay.org/blog/

The New Jersey Birding & Wildlife Trail's Cape May Bayshore Loop: http://www.njwildlifetrails.org/BwtWeb/LoopDetails.aspx?li=CM%20BAY

New Jersey Audubon Shorebird/Horseshoe Crab Conservation Campaign: http://www.njaudubon.org/Conservation/HSCrabAlert.html

For general info about Horseshoe Crabs, visit the ERDG site: http://www.horseshoecrab.org/

I hope this information is helpful. The Bay, its horseshoe crabs and  
its birds are a wonderful thing to behold. Let's do what we can to  
keep it that way. Enjoy your visit!

Good birding,

Jeff

Jeffrey Gordon
Lewes, DE


www.jeffreyagordon.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of George M. Jett
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2008 7:43 AM
To: 
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Delaware Bay Birding Sites


Terry

Get a copy of Claudia Wilds book Finding Birds in the National Capitol Area, 
and check out Section 22, Delaware Refuges.  You can get it at the Audubon 
Bookstore in Chevy Chase.  The book is circa 1984 but still very relevant. 
All the major shorebird locations are considered.

George

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terry Crowe" <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:34 PM
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Delaware Bay Birding Sites


> Hello
>
> Anyone have any suggestions for a day trip to Delaware Bay.? I am 
> unfamiliar with the area and would like site suggestions for shorebirds.
>
> Thanks
> Terry
>