“When my wife spotted our house, in one of the photos dealing with Red Knots @ Money Isalnd…we looked closer. We have been assisting the “up-side-down” Horseshoe Crabs around Money Island , Gandy Beach, & isolated “out-cay” Islands in New Jersey for many years. We simply enjoy the isolation, solitude, & beauty of this area. We try to assist, conserve, & contribute to the “life-cycles” of this area, one being the annual influx of shorebirds, & the dilemna of the Red Knot. Cathy & I spent hours during full & new moons during May/June “flipping” over-turned Horseshoe Crabs. Having a Kayak, boat, & waverunner, I can always find areas to observe & assist. We consistently spot “tagged” horseshoe crabs & report them to USD of Interior. This year we noticed a increase in the number of feeding shorebirbs, including more Red Knots. Of course, this is not scientific, just an observation. We will continue to support & assist the life cycles of the turtles, monarch butterflies, shorebirds, dragonflies, Eagles, & Ospreys… maybe not so much those gnats, strawberry flies, & the up-coming, dare I say it, “GreenHeads”

My reply:

That sounds very energetic, Randy, and potentially very useful. My buddies in Global Conservation Alliance were actually discussing very recently the idea of promoting volunteer groups going along the beaches to flip over stranded HS Crabs as a useful activity and as an educational tool. We had some questions about access, given that some of the principal beaches are closed to the public, but maybe that could be waived. The thing is, at the right time of year high tides are coming twice a day every day. You do what you can.

I know that I was drawn to flip over large females at least. We had some time to kill between sample taking and observations out at Moore’s Beach about a week ago. One of our associates spent the time returning crabs to the bay. I was taking photos and, as I walked past him, I said, “You know that’s more about you than the crabs, right?” He said, yeah, and kept on doing it. I guess ultimately it is all about the crabs, then the birds, then the bay and its people, so I can’t fault anyone for keeping any part of the system alive and reproducing.

Thanks for your timely comment. I got back from NJ yesterday. There will be more blog and photos in days to come, once I get settled back into the Vineyard life.