The Delaware Bay Shorebird Project, which has assessed shorebird numbers in the region for 26 years, found that the threatened red knot shorebird’s numbers remained at historically low levels in 2022. The red knots modestly increased from 6,800 in 2021 to over 12,000 this year, but that number is less than half the 2019 peak count of 30,000 and a fraction of the peak population of over 94,000 in 1989.
The red knot, a migratory shorebird, has long fascinated scientists and bird enthusiasts with its epic biannual flights between the southern tip of South America and the Arctic.