It's that time of year again - horseshoe crabs and shorebird extravaganza on our beach in the Villas. This year is especially birdy on our beach. Not sure why but the birds are loving the Villas. I spent time over the past 3 days searching for banded birds. It was overwhelming at times. Here is a little video to set the scene for you.
There were so many birds and so many bands to photograph that at times I was just shooting away. Here is an example. How many banded birds made it into one photograph?
09E, TN+, 52L
The majority of the birds are Sanderling and Semi-palmated Sandpipers but this year, we have an abundance of Ruddy Turnstones. They win the prize for most handsome birds on the beach.
Ruddy Turnstone Lineup
I found one Ruddy Turnstone with an antenna sticking out behind him. Can you see it on AA=? He just had the transmitter installed on his back this week. I hope he survives it.
RUTU AA= w/antenna
I found another RUTU hauling an older model transmitter called a geolocator. It is attached to his right leg rather than on his back.
RUTU H1A w/Geolocator
This guy seems to have survived the extra burden just fine. He had it installed in Brazil in May 2013 and has been tracked for 5 years now mainly being spotted in the Delaware Bay!
The birds are here to fatten up on horseshoe crab eggs. We met our friends on the beach to watch the sunset on Friday night. The crabs were also on the beach just after high tide.
Mating Crabs at Sunset
They were busy mating. Here is some "crab porn". The female is the larger crab. She digs a whole and lays eggs while the males fertilize.
Mating crabs
The result are millions of eggs. Some bubble up to the top. You can see them here.
Horseshoe crab eggs
Some of the birds like the Ruddy Turnstones know to dig down into the sand to expose the eggs like this guy - #123.
RUTU 123
And sometimes, they just hit the jackpot like these 2. Each green dot is an egg that they can gobble up.
Jackpot!
By the end of next week, they'll all be gone. They will be on their way to Canada and the arctic to breed in June and July then head back to Brazil and South America in August.
It's that time of year again - shorebird time on the Delaware Bay. I only got to spend one day on the beach this year due to crappy weather and other commitments. It is the end of the season so most of the endangered Red Knots have already fattened up and left the bay for their arctic nesting grounds. I was fortunate to find a few stragglers including this one. Can you find him in the midst of the mob?
Red Knot
Even though the Red Knots were mostly gone, I did managed to find, photograph and report 29 banded Sanderling and a few Ruddy Turnstones. The best interaction was with a particular female Ruddy Turnstone 9EA. She was working the beach.
Ruddy Turnstone
She was really going to town digging for Horseshoe Crab eggs.
Digging
The digging paid off. She was rewarded with yummy eggs. You can see one in her beak.
Crab egg - yum!
But then, she was interrupted by a boyfriend. She was having none of it. She chased him right away!
Leggo my eggo!
Not even a couple yet and already squabbling.
I really like sitting on the beach during shorebird migration. I get to really watch the birds rather than just see them for a brief moment. I can spend hours watching them search for food, squabble, preen and rest. Great stuff.
Do you love to eat Maryland style crabs? I do. Connie does. So do the birds. This Herring Gull came up with a prize in the rough surf on our beach. Look how proud he is.
Herring Gull - Blue Crab
This Laughing Gull took advantage of the Herring Gull's enthusiasm when it shook off the flippers.
Laughing Gull
Even this little Sanderling tried to chomp on the leftover leg even though he usually only eats crab eggs.
Sanderling
Not to be outdone, this Ruddy Turnstone climbed up on a horseshoe crab to go to work.
Ruddy Turnstone
On the other hand, this Semipalmated Plover decided to sit it out.
We are pretty much caught up with house chores that need immediate attention, so we went out in search of Davie's Lake (again)to do some birding at Cape May Point. Birding was a bust and we had another bust for finding Davie's Lake due to high tide, but we had an amazing experience on the beach anyway. Remember all of the recent posts about Horseshoe Crab spawning season? Well, guess what is hatching all along the bayshore - tiny Horseshoe Crabs! We got this amazing video of the eggs and the hatchlings. Enjoy.
Eggs and crabs hatching:
Hatchling in Barbara's hand
Signs of fall migration are already evident for shorebirds. eBird reports White-rumped Sandpipers and I had a Dowitcher flyby on the Villas beach on Saturday.
