The Importance of Delaware Bay to Migratory Birds
Larry Niles Ph.D, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Amanda Dey Wildlife Biologist, NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife
Nancy Donnelly, United Friends School
Notes:
Each year the Delaware Bay hosts one of the largest concentrations of shorebirds in the world. They stay for only the month of May while traveling from their South American wintering areas to Arctic breeding areas. They come because the bay also hosts the densest populations of breeding horseshoe crabs in the world. The shorebirds double their weight on the tiny green eggs of the crabs to complete their journey to the Arctic. Crabs and birds create an intricately woven natural phenomena that attracts visitors from all over the world.
To help protect NJ’s most important natural feature, the ENSP is conducting an ambitious research and protection program that is centered on the bay and follows the birds from the Arctic to the southern most tip of South America. This slide show briefly tells the story of our work.