Twelve of 13 red knots tracked by satellite transmitters this spring from Little Tybee Island to their Arctic breeding grounds flew straight from Georgia to those remote areas in Canada.

The findings by DNR and partners underscored previous research profiling the Southeast – and the food resources such as horseshoe crab eggs the region’s coastline provides – as a crucial stopover for many red knots.

Red knot with transmitter (DNR)

Red knot with transmitter (DNR)

These robin-sized shorebirds wing it 9,000-plus miles between South America and the Arctic every spring and fall.

Top: Red knots on Georgia’s Ogeechee Bar in spring (Fletcher Smith/DNR)