WhenToBird

Calidris canutus · Scolopacidae

When Do Red Knots Arrive in Delaware?

Adult Red Knot
Photo: Tommy Andriollo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red Knots mostly pass through Delaware: the first show up in early May, they are common by the second week of May, peak in late May (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: late May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 7.1% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.7% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.3% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.8% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5527 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Delaware that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sussex CountyBest late May · 3653 checklists that week, 91,027 in all12%
  2. Kent CountyBest late May · 1630 checklists that week, 36,693 in all6.3%
  3. New Castle CountyBest early June · 1246 checklists that week, 72,140 in all0.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mispillion RiverKent County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 216 in all87%
  2. Mispillion LightSussex County, best late May · 427 checklists that week, 2,628 in all79%
  3. Cedar CreekSussex County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 122 in all69%
  4. Pickering BeachKent County, best late May · 45 checklists that week, 268 in all36%
  5. Slaughter BeachSussex County, best mid May · 77 checklists that week, 400 in all33%
  6. Milford Neck Preserve (Clarks Ditch (historical))Kent County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 282 in all31%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Delaware, the Red Knot is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 8055 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 21367 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 25648 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 22669 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 20679 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0.1%0%0.1%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April0%0%0.1%0.2%
May1.7%3.8%8.2%8.3%
June2.8%0.9%0.3%0.2%
July0.3%0.3%0.5%0.8%
August0.6%0.4%0.1%0.1%
September0.5%0.3%0.1%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • New Jersey: arrives early May, in the same week than Delaware
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid July, 10 weeks later than Delaware
  • Massachusetts: arrives late July, 11 weeks later than Delaware
  • North Carolina: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Delaware

Common questions

When do Red Knots arrive in Delaware?
Red Knots mostly pass through Delaware: the first show up in early May, they are common by the second week of May, peak in late May (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Red Knots leave Delaware?
Most Red Knots have left Delaware by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Red Knot in Delaware?
The Red Knot is reported most often in late May, on about 7.1% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are Red Knots seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Kent County, and New Castle County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red Knot (counties with at least 200 checklists).