William D. and Jane C. Blair Jr. Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge

Why You Should Visit: Located on the southwest tip of the Cape May peninsula, Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, know as “The Meadows” to local residents, is replete with dunes, fresh and saltwater marshes, meadows, ponds, and a full mile of beachfront. A globally renowned birders paradise, the preserve and surrounding area is an important stopover for thousands of autumn migrants, while fragile beachnesting birds nest and fledge here each spring and summer. Just offshore, the remnants of the old town of South Cape May lie scattered on the ocean floor. In the early 1950s, the former Victorian resort town was destroyed by a storm and overtaken by the ocean. The preserve, once within the town, remained an open meadow as a result of farming, grazing, and other uses.

Size:
229 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit:
The preserve is open from dawn until dusk. During spring season, beaches are closed for beachnesting birds.

Visitation guidelines:

Trails:
Trails wind through the marsh edges.

What to See: Plants
Salt and cattail marshes and undeveloped beachfront host a variety of shoreline plant communities. Recently, the collared dodder was discovered at the refuge.

What to See: Animals
In addition to a host of migratory birds, several beachnesting birds find habitat here including piping plover and least tern. In addition, migrating dragonflies and butterflies rest and feed at the preserve.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site Recognized as a premier birding site, the preserve and the entire Cape May peninsula acts as a funnel for thousands of migrating birds along the Atlantic Flyway. Many of these species travel more than 9,000 miles from Arctic feeding grounds to spots in South and Central America. Salt marshes and back ponds teem with aquatic life. The preserve also offers undeveloped recreational opportunities for visitors, a rarity on the heavily developed Jersey shoreline. An estimated 300,000 visitors enjoy the preserve’s natural beauty each year. What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing In an innovative partnership, the Conservancy has teamed with the Army Corps of Engineers and the NJDEP to restore and protect the natural habitat of the preserve, the first project of its kind in New Jersey. Through beach replenishment, construction of back ponds, the re-engineering of wetlands, and removal of invasive phragmites, the Conservancy and its partners are restoring habitat for fragile beachnesting birds and other plants, animals, and birds that rely on this natural area for their survival.

Location

West Cape May Boro, Lower Township, Cape May County

Directions

Take the Garden State Parkway South to the end where it merges into Lafayette Street in Cape May. Continue straight on Lafayette Street. Bear right onto West Perry Street. This will turn into Sunset Blvd. Drive west for one mile. The preserve is on the left just past Bayshore Road. Parking area is well marked on left.

Source: New Jersey Pinelands Commission

Click on the images below for a larger picture.

Refuge Entrance

Epic Road Trips
Spring 2006