Each spring, the Delaware Bay becomes the site of one of the most spectacular and ancient phenomena in the natural world: the spawning of horseshoe crabs and the flocking of ravenous shorebirds that depend on them.

DNREC tracks this activity and provides a wealth of information on the horseshoe crab spawning and its importance to the survival of many bird species including the endangered Red Knots. 

The DNREC report includes  interesting information on horshoe crabs and their relationship with migratory birds including:

• Shorebirds more than double their body weight during their brief stopover each spring along Delaware Bay, feasting on the abundant supply of horseshoe crab eggs
• The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) framework uses an ecosystem-based approach to manage the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population, ensuring enough eggs are available support the migratory red knot population during their annual spring stopover.
• The DuPont Nature Center managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife located near Slaughter Beach provides great views from the center’s large deck overlooking the Mispillion Harbor of a variety of wildlife, including seasonally spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, including the red knot.

Take a look at the entire report on the Delaware.gov site and think about checking out the horseshoe crabs for yourself!