Red Knot Reunion

All year I live for the first sight of the returning Red Knots and their International Fans being the DNREC Shorebird Project Team.

When I walk into the field house immediately I pick up the excitement. Will it be high anxiety or happy exuberance?

Luckily the Red Knots are arriving in nice numbers so happy faces surrounded the breakfast meeting table. Last year it was 3 weeks of non-stop anxiety.

Out I went with the Netherlands' Red Knot PHD student Katrina and her adoring "Assistant" to survey Fowlers Beach and Primehook.

The six foot plus, gorgeous Katrina amazed me as she glided over the sand, on her shoulder perfectly balancing her $3,000.00 telescope. I trudged along trying to keep the scope from banging and bruising my arm!

Fowlers Beach Impoundment gave us a heart stopping view of 60 plus Black Skimmers neatly tucked into a sand bar. When we found the ~ 15 Red Knots tucked in between the usual sushi-eating-green-eggs-sumi-wrestler-comrades I broke into tears.

Shorebirds, how I have missed you!

Zany Bandz Camo Backpack: Thank you DNREC!

The first time I showed up for DNREC's Fish and Wildlife's Red Knot Duty I sported a beach bag. WRONG!

The second time I showed up for Red Knot Duty I proudly sported a hot PINK backpack! WRONG.

I quickly learned that black, brown and camo were the accepted colors.

( Also at Hawk Watch my girly pink backpack got wide-eyed stares ).

I missed out on attending the Volunteer Reward Party. I thought my reward might be a coffee mug???

At the Friends of Cape Henlopen Meeting, I was astounded when my "reward" showed up and it was a CAMO-color Back Pack with the Delware Park's Logo!!!

I was stunned! Beautiful and appropriate for all my "true Volunteer" duties.

Certainly someone suggested that I needed to lose the Pink Backpack!

I love this backpack, but like a new kid returning to Middle School: I just had to make it my own.

Off I went to purchase a set of neon-colored Zany Bandz!

I put the Zany Bandz thru each pull tag and then as decoration the remaining went into the outside mesh pocket.

Perfection!

Thank you, DNREC!!!!

Red Knot Anxiety

I'm the Sunday Red Knot-Shore Bird project Volunteer. At the early AM meeting we filled out numerous volunteer sheets choosing the specific designation box : True Volunteer.

Volunteer-us Vera, my species name.

This is my second "migration" participating in the project, thus now I am getting familiar with the daily pace and goals.

The goal is : find a Red Knot, find a Red Knot, find a Red Knot.

The Red Knots are streaming into the DE Bay. The daily numbers are going parabolic but we are waiting, waiting, waiting for The BIG Day of Arrival! The arrival is en masse. 75% of the world's population shows up for the party.

The 20 or so Brits crossed The Pond for the party braving Icelandic Volcano Ash Plumes and endless flight hours, bringing with them their scopes and tripods, supplies of PG Tips Tea, Marmite, and bottles of whiskey.

Yet, as the morning meeting dispersed into our assignments I felt the tension. A happy tension. Anxiety. Happy Anxiety. Red Knot Anxiety!

I realized that I was anxious too!

When do they arrive? Where will they feed? Will the birds cooperate in feeding where they can be netted and banded?

Red Knots please read my email and know that the Horse Shoe Crabs are in abundance and so is the food.

Please arrive soonest!

Beach Blessings,

Smithsonian Article: DE's Red Knots Re-Sighting Program

Smithsonian Article: 

DE's Red Knots Re-Sighting Program

Or:

How I spent my Sunday's May 2009!

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Return-of-the-Sandpiper.html

Hmmn: looks like the big picture of the Red Knot taking flight is Not a Knot but a Short-Billed Dowitcher! 

;-)

Post Migration Red Knot Blues!

Red Knots!  Ruddy Turnstones too!  I miss you!  I had no idea I would miss you so much..... all 10, 000's of you....every one!!!

xoxoxoxo,

Your Osprey Beach Novice Re-sighter!

Red Knots are Sumi Wrestler FAT!

When I arrived at 8AM, "The Birds are Gone" was the somber Sunday Lamentation.  The Brit Bird Team were gone too! In their wake, they left: Single Malt Whiskey, PG Tips Tea, and a lone bottle of Marmite!  

Not too worry, May 2010, myself, the Red Knots and the Brits will return!

Despite the lonely house down from 20 occupants to 4, we did our Bird Duty.  

While a storm passed thru we did data entry, and I got a nice lesson on skinny vs fat Red Knots,...... then we readied for my last boat ride of the season at Milspillion Harbor for re-sighting.

First we did a quick-look-see to evaluate if  "any birds were left". Some were!  ~ 1,000 were still hanging around.......so we launched the boat.

   I was given a promotion and bragging rights from Osprey Beach ( aka Beach Pee-pee) to Back Beach!  I re-sighted my first Sanderlings!

This re-sighting I looked at Red Knot legs and bellies.  Indeed these were little fat pigs..... from their arrival weight of ~ 90 grams...... now nearing their Sumi-Wrestler- fighting-fit-weight of ~ 180 grams!

Fat Red Knots are now on their way to the Arctic!

Farewell Birds! Godspeed!

 

Osprey Beach "Pee" and Red Knots

The boat beached on "Osprey Beach", which I dubbed "Beach-Pee-pee" as it was the ONLY beach where one can hide behind a pine tree and pee! 

With my girly pink-backpack, $3,000 scope and chair in tow.... we found our spot for re-sighting the Red Knots and Ruddy Turnstones.

This was my first time getting to know a scope.  Lucky for me DE's Fish and Wildlife provided me with a great piece of glass!!!!

My re-sighting partner......a top-flight ornithologist from the UK....... gave me a great lesson.  He sat with me until I was comfortable with the re- sighting and data recording....... then I was on my own.

I recorded data for 50 birds.......... my Brit partner did 350!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved-loved watching the bird behaviors.  My favorite was watching the Ruddy Turnstones digging deeply for the horseshoe crab eggs........ so deep that half the bird would be would be in  it's little hole!

The wind and cold kept me alert, I was multi- layered up.....the layers almost made it thru .... I hid behind a tree for cover...... after three hours I was ready for the rescue crew!

Earlier in the day..... waiting for the rain to stop, I made banding bead strings....... and attempted to make a few flags too.  Oh, and I learned how to do data-entry too!

10.5 hours later............. barely made it back alive to the cottage for dinner and SLEEP! 

 

Red Knots Arrive and Ruddy Turnstones too!

I've waited a year to see my first Red Knots!  I was so excited!  I'm still excited!  My first sighting was at Port Mahon along the bay's rip-rap rocky edges. My first look-see out the binos.... and there they were!!!!   My sighting partner, on a five day holiday, was an Environmental Educator, and a wonderful teacher

  I'm a volunteer with DE's Fish and Wildlife Seashore Birds.  I'm participating on a fast learning-track to record data, sight birds, re-sight band info, capture/net and band the birds!

After eight hours work.......I was fading...... but still on an adrenaline rush after the afternoon boat-tour look-see ( no Red Knots or Ruddy Turnstones...... so no scope work).

Can not wait to net and band my first birds!!!!!