Delaware Bay — One a 10,000-Mile-Long Chain During May and early
June, the shores of Delaware Bay resonate with the cheerful
chattering of more than 20 species of migratory shorebirds.
Delaware Bay provides an ecologically important stepping-stone
for the birds' spring pilgrimage to Arctic nesting grounds.The
Delaware Bay is the largest spring staging area for shorebirds
in eastern North America. A staging site is an area with
plentiful food where migrating birds gather to replenish
themselves before continuing on their journey. Staging sites
serve as a link in a chain connecting wintering areas with
breeding grounds, sites for which there are no alternatives.
Place cursor on map to see the Southward Migration Shorebirds
begin to arrive in early May. The numbers of birds soar upward
during mid-month and usually peak between May 18 and 24 (in some
years as late as May 28). They have traveled from the coasts of
Brazil, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego, from desert beaches of
Chile and Peru, and from mud flats in