Red Knots Return to Mispillion Harbor

Situated on the west shore of Delaware Bay, Mispillion Harbor’s protected cove provides a safe and dependable habitat for horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. The shallow waters warm up quickly in the spring, the jetty provides protection from waves, and the sloping sandy beaches are perfect for the crabs to lay their eggs. In fact, Delaware Bay hosts the largest population of spawning horseshoe crabs in the world and provides ideal habitat for the baby crabs to hatch and grow. Hungry red knots and other migrating shorebirds devour the eggs and restore their strength — sometimes as much as doubling their body weight. After a week or two in Mispillion Harbor, they leave well fed and rested to continue their migration north to begin nesting.

Recognizing this site’s critical importance, The Conservation Fund purchased most of the Mispillion Harbor shoreline in 2006 to prevent any development that would harm the habitat. Over the years, most of that land was transferred to the State of Delaware for permanent protection and the final piece was transferred in 2021. Now protected, Mispillion Harbor provides critical habitat for spawning horseshoe crabs and the migrating shorebirds that feed on them.

A Brighter Future Ahead

Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is completing important restoration work and has been operating the DuPont Nature Center, a science-based educational and interpretive facility with interactive exhibits designed to connect people with the Delaware Bay’s natural history and ecology.

Visitors to the DuPont Nature Center have the best opportunity to witness this amazing convergence of wildlife in May and early June, often during or right after a high tide. It is important to remember to always observe shorebirds from a distance to avoid disturbing them and disrupting their feeding. For those who can’t come in person, anyone can view their Harbor Cam to experience the magical view from afar.

Mispillion Harbor was one of the first projects that Blaine Phillips, former SVP of Conservation Acquisitions, worked on when he came to The Conservation Fund twenty years ago. The ultimate protection of this globally significant resource is testament to not only the time and persistence that many habitat protection projects take, but to the dedicated partnerships that made it possible. We worked closely with our partners at the Allerton Foundation, the Campbell Foundation, the State of Delaware, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Delmarva Ornithological Society and Delaware Wild Lands to complete multiple acquisitions over the years. It is also remarkable that for an organization that has protected millions of acres across the country, some of our greatest impact, at least Blaine’s experience, was saving these relatively few acres of sandy shoreline along the Delaware Bay.

Today we celebrate that the Conservation Fund has now worked for decades to protect key habitat in Delaware for these threatened shorebirds. This act marks a positive step toward ensuring a future hold for vulnerable species.