How to be a bird-friendly beachgoer
Multitudes of migrating birds stop every year to raise their chicks on beaches in New Jersey. This is a time of high stress and vulnerability as these often tiny, well-camouflaged birds try to make a living and safely raise their families alongside ours as we spend our vacations on the same beaches they call home. These birds need our help! #beagoodegg and help make this a successful breeding season for beach-nesting birds by following these guidelines:
01
Stay outside roped-off areas and obey beach rules
During breeding season, state wildlife officials rope off areas where birds are nesting. These spaces are safe places for birds to feed, rest, and raise their young without disturbance. It's important to stay outside the roped-off areas to avoid crushing eggs, stepping on chicks or separating the adults from the chicks they are protecting. Birds that nest on the beach make little shallow scrapes on the sand which is where lay their eggs. Highly camouflaged eggs and chicks are easily trampled. And, birds may leave their chicks unguarded if frightened, making them vulnerable to gulls, crows, or other predators.
02
Keep furry friends off the beach
To a wild bird, no matter how sweet, all dogs are predators. Parent birds will leave their chicks to fend off a passing dog, leaving their flightless young unguarded. Dogs off-lead may crush eggs or harm chicks. Dogs are not allowed on the beach, on or off lead during breeding season and must be leashed at all other times. Looking for a place where your dog can run and play to his/her heart's content? There's a new super cool doggie playground on Commonwealth/Landis Avenue between Sixth and Eighth Streets.
03
Give birds plenty of space
Always walk around (not through) flocks of birds and stay far from nesting area boundaries; give bird families with tiny flightless chicks plenty of space so they can forage at the shoreline peacefully and without interruption. If you are being dive-bombed, hear persistent peeping nearby, or see a bird feigning injury, you're way too close. These are desperate defensive behaviors by parents protecting their young. Stop, look down to be sure the chick isn't at your feet, and slowly walk in the direction of the adult.
04
Properly remove trash and fishing line
Make the beaches safer by removing all trash and food scraps that attract predators, and properly disposing of fishing lines and hooks which can entangle and injure adults and chicks.
05
Volunteer to be a beach steward
Join our community of volunteer beach stewards who help monitor and protect our beach-nesting birds.
#beagoodegg
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date with volunteer events, or reach out to strathmereploverproject@gmail.com.