{"id":2661,"date":"2011-07-07T07:10:38","date_gmt":"2011-07-07T13:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=2661"},"modified":"2025-08-18T13:29:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T18:29:50","slug":"red-knots-a-species-on-the-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/07\/07\/red-knots-a-species-on-the-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Knots – A Species On The Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FlockFlock of Red Knots flying by – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/750, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Knots are medium sized shorebirds and the largest of the “peeps”. Red Knots are long distance flyers, some traveling over 9300 miles to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic tundra and winter as far south as Tierra del Fuego, Chile.<\/p>\n

During migration and winter Red Knots are found on coastal beaches, sand bars, and tidal flats.<\/p>\n

\"RedRed Knots where two of them are banded –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1600, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I first became interested in Red Knots on the west coast of Florida where I would see flocks of them resting and foraging on the shoreline. Then I noticed that many of the knots were banded and I wanted to know why so I began to search for information about Red Knots on the net.<\/p>\n

Many of the knots are being banded in North and South America to study the decline of this species and that valuable information is gained about Red Knots by reports of resightings and recaptures of the banded birds.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0began to takes images of any banded Red Knot that I saw while out photographing on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and reported them. \u00a0I even looked for them on the tidal flats of Panama City and in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

\"TwelveTwelve year old banded Red Knot –\u00a0 Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/800, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the photos I have taken of Red Knots have been taken to document the bands I saw and\u00a0are not among my best images.<\/p>\n

The image above is poor quality but what it shows me is that this Red Knot was banded in Delaware in 1997 (the first year they banded knots there) and that at the time I photographed this Red Knot it was twelve years old<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

\"ForagingForaging Red Knot –\u00a0Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 200, Nikkor 80-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Knot populations are in serious decline partly due to the over-harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs along the Atlantic coast of the United States, the eggs of which are an important food source for this species.<\/p>\n

Red Knots fatten up on the crab eggs during their long migration north and without the stored energy those eggs provide many breeding adults do not have enough body mass to make\u00a0the journey\u00a0to the Arctic tundra to successfully breed.<\/p>\n

\"RedRed Knot going out of breeding plumage –\u00a0Nikon D200, f5.6, 1\/640, ISO 320, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Red Knots are a species on\u00a0the edge of extinction and they may well disappear in\u00a0our lifetime without further regulation of Horseshoe Crab harvesting in North America plus additional protection and conservation measures.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Red Knot photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

For more Information on Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

To Report Resightings of Banded Red Knots<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

PBS: Crash: A Tale of Two Species<\/a><\/span> Very compelling (Full video)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

American Bird Conservancy: Red Knot Wintering Population Drops by More than 5,000, Accelerating Slide to Extinction<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Red Knots are on the edge of extinction and without further regulation of Horseshoe Crab harvesting in North America plus additional protection and conservation measures for Red Knots they may well disappear in our lifetime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":152675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,704,2000,176],"tags":[4150,692,694,695,3980,693,4523,274,696,2540],"class_list":["post-2661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","category-pinellas-county-florida","category-red-knots","tag-calidris-canutus","tag-declining","tag-horseshoe-crabs","tag-long-distance-flyers","tag-pinellas-county","tag-populations","tag-red-knot","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-status","tag-threatened"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knots-flock-flight-mia-mcpherson-8626.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-GV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14975,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/05\/16\/red-knots-still-need-our-help\/","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":0},"title":"Red Knots Still Need Our Help","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have written before on how Red Knots are a species on the edge because of plummeting populations declines and today they still need our help.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red Knot feeding in early morning light, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7851.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7851.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7851.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-breeding-mia-mcpherson-7851.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":747,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/09\/06\/birds-with-bands\/","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":1},"title":"Birds With Bands","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"As a bird photographer it can some times be disheartening when you have great light, a wonderful setting and a beautiful specimen of a bird in front of your lens when you see the \"jewelry\" (bands) that some birds will be wearing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Banded Piping Plover at Fort De Soto County Park in Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/piping-plover-with-bands-mia-mcpherson-3385.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/piping-plover-with-bands-mia-mcpherson-3385.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/piping-plover-with-bands-mia-mcpherson-3385.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/piping-plover-with-bands-mia-mcpherson-3385.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6821,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/17\/red-knot-in-early-morning-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":2},"title":"Red Knot In Early Morning Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A simple image of a Red Knot taken in Florida in early morning light. Morning has been; and is, my favorite time of day to photograph birds and other wildlife because the rising sun can add drama and a warm glow to whatever subject I am photographing.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red Knot in nonbreeding plumage at Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/red-knot-nonbreeding-mia-mcpherson-8960.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/willet-surf-gulf-of-mexico-mia-mcpherson-8975.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/willet-surf-gulf-of-mexico-mia-mcpherson-8975.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/willet-surf-gulf-of-mexico-mia-mcpherson-8975.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/willet-surf-gulf-of-mexico-mia-mcpherson-8975.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14920,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/05\/09\/dunlins\/","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":4},"title":"Dunlins","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Dunlins are small shorebirds that are found in North America which exhibit remarkable differences between their breeding and nonbreeding plumages.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dunlin on tidal flat, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dunlin-mia-mcpherson-nonbreeding-plumage-7903.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dunlin-mia-mcpherson-nonbreeding-plumage-7903.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dunlin-mia-mcpherson-nonbreeding-plumage-7903.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dunlin-mia-mcpherson-nonbreeding-plumage-7903.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":96299,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/15\/great-blue-heron-belt-of-venus-and-earth-shadow-memories\/","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":5},"title":"Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and Earth Shadow Memories","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Thirteen years ago this morning I photographed a Great Blue Heron, Belt of Venus and the Earth Shadow on the north beach of Fort De Soto County Park on the west coast of Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Great Blue Heron walking in front of the Belt of Venus and Earth Shadow, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, 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