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Sharing the Sands – Meet Cape May’s Nesting Birds

Photo Credit: Emil Lundahl
Piping plovers feed and nest on coastal sands across North American shores.

By Brett Ewald, Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory

As the summer season heats up and more and more of us are enjoying the crashing waves and soft sand of Cape May’s world-class beaches, please take time to notice others that are sharing the beach with you—beach nesting birds! Renowned as a top birding destination in the world, Cape May is fortunate to host several amazing and endangered bird species during the breeding season. Most notable are Least Tern, Black Skimmer, Piping Plover, and American Oystercatcher.

A Least Tern spotted on Poverty Beach, a section of beach on Cape Island. Photo Credit: Jesse Amesbury

The Least Tern is the smallest of the tern species, with a wingspan of only 20”, and endangered as a breeder in NJ. In its breeding plumage, it is marked by a yellow bill, a white forehead, and a black cap. Nesting in colonies to take advantage of safety in numbers, it is most often found breeding on the beaches at The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows Preserve—hopefully within the fenced exclosures to keep out disturbances from off-leash dogs and predators, such as foxes and coyotes—and active along the beaches of Cape May State Park and Cape May Point and offshore, as well as Stone Harbor Point. While their quick wingbeats, shrill calls, and squeaks are often what first attract notice, their beautiful plumage and courtship behaviors will keep your attention.

Founded in 1897, the New Jersey Audubon is one of the oldest independent Audubon societies in the nation. Visit them at njaudubon.org

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