Category: Delaware

Delaware 2026: 17–24 May – we still have Knot!

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Sunday 17 May

We started off the day with the majority of the team heading to Slaughter Beach for an early morning catch, aiming to target Turnstone for tagging. After a long and extremely noseeum-infested wait, we made a dry catch. We even managed to sneak some public engagement in. At least four of our Turnstones were of a suitably high weight to be tagged, and thus the last four ARGOS tags were deployed by Katharine and Jessie. It was a stiflingly hot day (30° C), but we powered on with lots of data checking, kit maintenance and site surveys. Isla and Rob Rob even managed to go grab some Philly cheesesteaks on the way to our survey. Ema made us all a fantastic Argentinian meal; fried beef and tofu with all the trimmings, followed by (healthy) tiramisu.

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Delaware 2026: 4-16 May – we have Knot!

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Monday 4 May

The team started heading for Delaware a little early this year on Monday 4 May – with four of us staying for a full four weeks to catch the beginning and the end of the season. All four of us headed down to London a day before the flight to avoid the M25 issues. Nigel and Jacquie picked up Graham, then dropped off their dogs before spending the night at a Travelodge in Slough , while Cathy took the train. 

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Delaware 2025: 24-31 May

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Saturday 24 May

Our final week on the shores of Delaware Bay began slowly with a relaxed morning of resighting on Slaughter Beach before a 10:00 hrs team went to set a net on Point North. How very leisurely! A Skiff team got into position offshore, ready for action. It was Memorial Day, and so there was a crowd of visitors watching from the Nature Centre deck. Ryan and Cathy chatted to them about the Project and explained what was going on as the catch unfolded. Unfortunately, cable connection problems and then too many birds in the catching area caused a bit of a delay. Once the net was tested successfully, Chantal was sent to shuffle down the rock wall, pushing many of the Semipalmated Sandpiper out of the catching area. With a safe number of birds catchable, the net was fired and the Skiff team raced to shore to join the firing team to cover the catch and begin extraction. The total catch was 397 birds, consisting of two Red Knot, 18 Ruddy Turnstone, 152 Short-billed Dowitcher, 141 Semipalmated Sandpiper and 84 Dunlin. After ferrying the birds to Swains Beach, we processed under shade, and with extra help from several Project volunteers we were finished in good time to fit in some more resighting in the Harbor during the afternoon. We have made an incredible effort on flagging Dowitcher this season, just the start to a new project that we needed. In the afternoon, Lys made a great tagine for dinner.

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Delaware 2025: 18-23 May

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Sunday 18 May

A wonderful start to our second week in Delaware Bay, we spent the evening at Dave’s for the annual BBQ he holds for the Shorebird Project. Before we could relax however, the morning was spent filling empty cartridges, finishing up a few last beach surveys for the period and of course cranking through the data entry and checking. Nigel also did a bit of a recce for some more walk-in trapping around Mispillion Harbour. With only partial success in our first week, we planned to make a big effort with walk-ins this week, there being lots of potential with the number of Dowitcher seen about the shores, and amongst the phragmites and marshes.

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A team of people standing in a line leading from a small boat to the shore. They are passing boxes along the line to empty the boat quickly. The boat is moored against a rocky shoreline. Numerous wooden poles are sticking out of the water behind the boat.

Delaware 2025: 10–17 May – Dowitcher City

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Saturday 10 May

After a long journey over the ocean from London to Philadelphia, and a familiar drive down to the team’s base on Slaughter Beach, the Brits made it safely to Delaware Bay for the start of another exciting season on the Delaware Shorebird Project. Kirsten Grond had joined us at the airport and both Jim Lyons and Ema Tiberi were at the house to welcome us warmly home. The traditional evening visit to Mispillion Harbour produced beautiful views of Common Scoter bobbing on the water, Short-billed Dowitchers probing and singing along the shores, and an Osprey elegantly gliding over the pink, sun-stained water.

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