horseshoe crab bonk-o-rama May 18 2015

On occasion, I would see horseshoe crabs at our shore-lines from Hampton beach all the way down to  Rhode Island. In the 1960's, I remember seeing hundreds of horseshoe crabs at the Rowley landing (boat launch).
My husband reported to me there were sighting of horseshoe crabs converging at Great Bay in New Hampshire.
The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is quite a large area dipping inland of the New Hampshire coast. We sought out first in our quest to find horseshoe crabs in Stratham, NH (Sandy point). It's a nice place to take easy hikes and bird watch. We walked around the shore line but no horseshoe crabs.
 The next place we ventured to was Turtle Quarry. This spot is located deep in the woods through unpaved roads in Newmarket. We wore hooded sweatshirts, long pants and hats but it was no match for the ridiculous swarms of horseflies and mosquitoes. We got lost in the woods  but lucky for us, we found our way back to the car unscathed. This place looked like a scene from the Blair witch project.
We found other more "civilized paths" in Newmarket to view the ocean but none close enough to walk on the actual shoreline.
The next spot we went to was Adams point in Durham next to UNH's research lab. You absolutely have to wear long pants here. The walkways are one big a poison ivy 'farm". I've never seen so much poison ivy and sumac in one area in my entire life.
We found our way to the shoreline and alas! And there they were! The shore was teeming with horseshoe crabs in various stages of coupling. The horseshoes that were amiss in the action were quite mobile trying their best to kick one male off the female to gain position.It was easy to spot the females because they were larger. The males were like little jockeys. It was a horseshoe crab bonk-o-rama.
It was interesting that the horseshoe crabs picked this particular area to mate. Whereas a few hundred feet away around the bend, I didn't see any. Perhaps it is the mineral content of the mud here that is best for them and their babies.
Anyways, it was fun looking for them.