As we head west away from the Atlantic Ocean toward the Chesapeake Bay we will explore the marine and coastal ecologies of Delaware.

The first couple of days of our journey will be across the state of Delaware. The unique landscape tucked between the Chesapeake Bay
and the Atlantic Ocean create a wonderful haven for wildlife. The coastal environment has an amazing mix of marine animals and waterfowl. The overlap of the marine ecology and the coastal ecology develop a delicate balance (Find out more: What is Ecology?). The heavy reliance upon one another for a healthy population is seen in the relationship between the Shorebirds and Horseshoe Crabs.
The Delaware coastline is a great spot to view the interesting migrating shorebirds such as the Migrating Red Knot. The Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderlings and the Semipalmated Sandpiper are four of the most common shorebirds in delaware. The migration of the Snow Goose also goes through Delaware (Find out more: Geese Migration). The habitat that supports these bird populations is continually at risk. To help control the health of these environments, Delaware has declared some areas in an Important Bird Areas Program. The University of Delaware has recognized the need to observe and maintain these fragile areas as outlined in an article entitled Mapping Habitat Protection Priorities in Delaware. Hopefully the efforts to keep these environments healthy will also help the Endangered Species of Delaware, and Delaware's Rare Animal Species of Conservation Concern. Delaware also deals with the issue of Invasive Species. As we head west away from the beach some of the more common wildlife to see on the coastal plain of delaware will be the Whitetail Deer, the Wild Turkey, a variety of Ducks, some birds of prey, possibly even the Bald Eagle, and various other creatures, some of which are found on the Delaware Wildlife Information Webpage .

So keep your eyes and ears open and the wonderful world of wildlife in Delaware will not disappoint you.