Delsea Region
SONGBIRDS & SHOREBIRDS - For migratory birds
that may have traveled thousands of miles non-stop, the coastal marshes
of the Delaware Bay may be their first opportunity to rest and regain
their energy from local food sources. Warblers, thrushes, tanagers,
flycatchers, and orioles are some of the more popular visitors to the
Delsea region’s tidal marshes. Places such as Heislerville and
Egg Island Wildlife Management
Areas and the Fortescue Glades Wildlife Refuge are often teeming with spring migrants. The fall neotropical
songbird migration is typically more concentrated than the spring migration.
One theory for this suggests that New Jersey’s geography funnels
migrants towards its southern tip.
Some birds, such as the clapper rail, sharp-tailed and
seaside sparrow, indigo bunting, blue grosbeak, and yellow-breasted
chat become summer residents in the coastal marshes. Herons, egrets,
and ibis are born in Cape May and Salem county rookeries. Yet these
birds often make daily migrations to the tidal marshes of Cumberland
county for food.
BIRDS OF PREY - Golden eagles, bald eagles, and
thousands of hawks migrate through the Delsea Region in the fall of
each year. As many as sixty thousand raptors fly through the bayshore
area.
HORSESHOE CRABS AND SHOREBIRDS - Horseshoe crabs
have been coming to the Delaware Bay Shore each spring for thousands
of years. From fifty to sixty miles offshore, they crawl along the bottom
and swim towards shore where the females lay up to 80,000 eggs in a
series of shallow pits just above the hightide mark. The eggs incubate
in the sun for thirty days until the next spring tide washes the tiny
horseshoe crabs out to sea where they mature.
Horseshoe crab eggs provide food for over a million
migrating shorebirds from South America each spring. Starved from the
long intense journey to the bayshore, red knots, semipalmated sandpipers,
ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, and dunlins may almost double their weight
while replenishing their energy supply on the horseshoe crabs eggs before
continuing on their journey. Horseshoe crabs support the second largest
spring migration of shorebirds in the Northern Hemisphere. The fall
migration is much less dramatic.
Look for horseshoe crabs and migratory shorebirds near
East Point Lighthouse, at Heislerville Wildlife
Management Area, and at most of the Delaware
Bay beaches in northern and middle Cape May County.
Marine Mammals & Fish - Several types of
fish live in the Atlantic Ocean for the majority of their lives and
return to the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River to spawn. Shad "run"
the Delaware River in late April through June to lay their eggs near
its northern headwaters. Their migration is followed closely by the
Sturgeon as far as Philadelphia.
Alewife, a small member of the herring family, is more
tolerant of cooler temperatures, and therefore reaches their spawning
peak in early April. The return to fresh water spawning sites is an
exhausting and fascinating process for these fish which are primarily
found in salt or brakish water.
Marine turtles migrate into the warm Delaware estuary
each spring to feed on a plentiful source of crustaceans, molluscs,
fish, and aquatic vegetation.
INSECTS - Thousands of butterflies, especially
Monarchs, fly through the Delsea region on their yearly migration to
Mexico and Central America. Look for them in late summer and early fall
at Egg Island and Heislerville Wildlife Management Areas, the Dennis Creek WMA, and at the Cape May Bird Observatory.
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Cape May/Absecon Region
SONGBIRDS & WADING BIRDS - For migratory songbirds, the
coastal marshes and barrier islands of the region provide opportunities
to rest and regain their energy from local food sources. Some, such
as the warblers, thrushes, tanagers, flycatchers, and orioles take up
summer residency in the tidal marshes, maritime forests, and pine barrens.
Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Tuckahoe
WMA, and the Nature Conservancy’s Cape
May Migratory Bird Refuge are often teeming with spring and fall
migrants. The fall Neotropical songbird migration is typically more
concentrated than the spring migration.
Some migrants, such as the indigo bunting, blue grosbeak, and yellow-breasted
chat become summer residents in the coastal marshes.
Rookeries in Cape May nurture newborn herons, egrets, and ibis which
can often be seen making daily summer foraging trips to the salt marshes.
BIRDS OF PREY - Golden eagles, bald eagles, and up to sixteen
species of hawks funnel their way south into Cape May County in the
late fall of each year. Osprey frequently nest and establish spring
hunting territories in the tidal marshes behind the barrier islands.
Avid bird watchers gather every fall on raptor viewing platforms at
the Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge and Cape May Point State Park to count
the thousands of hawks passing through the area on their way south for
the winter.
HORSHOE CRABS & SHOREBIRDS - Every spring for thousands
of years, horseshoe crabs have been coming to the shores of the Delaware
Bay to reproduce and lay their eggs. From fifty to sixty miles offshore,
they crawl along the bottom and swim towards shore where the females
lay up to 88,000 eggs in a series of shallow pits above the high tide
mark. The eggs incubate in the sun on the beach for thirty days, when
the next high tide washes the tiny horshoe crabs out to sea where they
mature.
Based on this glut of rich protein and nutruition, millions of migrating
shorebirds that have wintered in South America and traveled non-stop
for thousands of miles are drawn to the Delaware Bay. Starved from the
long intense journey, red knots, semipalmated sandpipers, ruddy turnstones,
sanderlings, and dunlins may double their weight by feasting on the
horsehoe cab eggs before continuing on their northward journey.
Marine Mammals & Fish - Dolphins, whales, and seals migrate
just offshore along the Atlantic coast moving north and south as the
seasons and water temperatures change. Bottlenose dolphins and humpback
whales are common summer visitors off the coast of Corson’s Inlet and Cape May Point
state parks.
The fin whale, long-finned pilot whale, and northern right whale are
rare, but also found off the coast in the summer. The harbor porpoise,
common to the cooler waters of the far north Atlantic, can be found
off shore in the mid-Atlantic region during the winter. Although they
do not really migrate, the harbor seals and gray seals are frequently
found foraging for new feeding grounds near the beaches and inlets around
Island Beach and Barnegat Light state parks between December and March.
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Barnegat Bay Region
SONGBIRDS & WADING BIRDS - For migratory
songbirds, the coastal marshes and barrier islands of the Barnegat Bay
region provide opportunities to rest and regain their energy from local
food sources. Some, such as the warblers, thrushes, tanagers, flycatchers,
and orioles take up summer residency in the region’s tidal marshes,
maritime forests, and pine barrens. Island Beach State Park, Cattus Island
County Park, and Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife
Management Area are often teeming with spring migrants. The fall Neotropical
songbird migration is typically more concentrated than the spring migration.
Some birds, such as the indigo bunting, blue grosbeak,
and yellow-breasted chat become summer residents in the coastal marshes.
BIRDS OF PREY - Golden eagles, bald eagles, and
hawks funnel their way south through Barnegat Bay’s coastal region
in the late fall of each year. Osprey frequently nest and establish
spring hunting territories in the bays behind the barrier islands.
MARINE MAMMALS & FISH - Dolphins, whales,
and seals migrate just offshore along the Atlantic coast moving north
and south as the seasons and water temperatures change. Bottlenose dolphins
and humpback whales are common summer visitors off the coast of Island
Beach State Park.
The fin whale, long-finned pilot whale, and northern
right whale are rare, but also found off the coast in the summer. The
harbor porpoise, common to the cooler waters of the far north Atlantic,
can be found off shore in the mid-Atlantic region during the winter.
Although they do not really migrate, the harbor seals and gray seals
are frequently found foraging for new feeding grounds near the beaches
and inlets around Island Beach and Barnegat Light state parks between
December and March.
Loggerheads and other sea turtles, carried north by
the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, migrate up the Atlantic coast as
far as Nova Scotia during the summer and return to their nesting grounds
along the southeastern coast of the United States in the fall. The fall
migration is often the best time to see loggerheads and leatherbacks.
Because their populations are greatly reduced, the sighting of one is
an exciting event.
INSECTS - Thousands of butterflies, especially
Monarchs, fly through here on their yearly migration to Mexico and South
America. Look for them in late summer and early fall at Cattus Island
County Park and Island Beach and Barnegat Light state parks.
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Sandy Hook Region
BIRDS - For migratory birds, the
opportunity to rest and regain their energy at coastal marshes and barrier
islands of the Sandy Hook Region is critical to survival. Warblers,
thrushes, tanagers, flycatchers, and orioles are some of the more popular
songbirds that visit marsh areas at Cheesequake State Park. The fall neotropical
songbird migration is more numerous and concentrated, but in the spring,
migrating songbirds display their brightly colored breeding plumage.
Wading birds, such as herons, egrets, and ibis, can often be seen foraging
in this region. These summer residents gracefully pluck crabs and other
prey from the muddy tidal and freshwater wetlands.
Ducks and geese are popular winter visitors that can be found floating
in local ponds. Black ducks, mallards, snow geese, and Canada geese
are some of the species that you might see here as they avoid the extreme
cold of northern habitats.
Golden eagles, bald eagles, and many hawks migrate through the Sandy
Hook Region. Osprey are also known to nest here. Observe raptors flying
overhead as you explore this unique area.
MARINE ANIMALS - Dolphins, whales, and seals migrate along the
coast of New Jersey, moving north and south as the seasons and water
temperatures change. The bottlenosed dolphin is a common summer visitor
to these ocean waters. Although they do not have a typical migration,
harbor seals and gray seals can be found in the winter, hauled out on
the beaches.
Sea turtles may be carried north by the Gulf Stream and continue to
migrate up the Atlantic Coast to as far as Nova Scotia during the warmer
months. Because their numbers are greatly reduced, a sighting of one
is an exciting event.
Several fish that primarily reside in the Atlantic Ocean spend parts
of their lives in the bays of New Jersey. Weakfish can be found seasonally
in the bays from April to October. Unlike many other fish, they spawn
all summer long. Bluefish, a very popular sports fish, can be found
off the coast during May and April, and much closer to shore in early
summer when they spawn. Winter flounder spend most of their time in
the estuaries, and then swim for deeper waters in the warmer summer
months. However, summer flounders spend the summer near the shore.
Menhaden lay their eggs in the ocean from December through February.
The eggs drift into estuaries of coastal New Jersey where they eventually
grow into juevenile fish. The small fish form schools and then emigrate
back into the ocean.
Sand tiger sharks, smooth dogfish, sandbar sharks, and hammerhead sharks
also migrate into the bays when the water warms up between May and September.
INSECTS - Thousands of monarch butterflies fly through here
on their yearly migration to Mexico and South America. Look for migrating
butterflies in the late summer and early fall.
Dragonflies also migrate, althougth their migration patterns are still
not fully understood.
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The New Jersey coast is an essential stop in
the global migration of many birds, marine animals, and insects. Dolphins,
whales, seals, fish, hawks, eagles, warblers, and butterflies are
just a few of the animals that utilize New Jersey’s coastal habitats.