LEWES, Del. — Delaware environmental teams are taking a new approach to help least terns, a state-endangered bird species that has struggled in recent years along Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean beaches.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Recreation recently created two protected nesting plots, known as exclosures, at The Point inside Cape Henlopen State Park.
Least terns, identified by their silvery-gray back and wings, yellow bill and black cap with a white triangle on the forehead, typically arrive in Delaware from May through August. The birds nest above the high tide line, laying eggs directly on the sand in shallow scrapes, making them vulnerable to predators and severe weather.
The new nesting habitat sits within a seasonally closed section of The Point already protected for the federally threatened piping plover.
“The motivation for the project is that added protection can make least tern nests and fledglings less vulnerable to predation, and also bring back their numbers at a location historically favored by the species,” said DNREC Wildlife Section Administrator Joe Rogerson. “Although least terns are commonly observed throughout the summer at Cape Henlopen and The Point, up to now the productivity of nesting colonies remains very low, with high rates of nest and chick failures.”
According to DNREC, the statewide least tern population has fluctuated sharply over the past two decades. The Beach-Nesting Bird Program recorded statewide lows of just five nesting pairs in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
The state also recorded a high of 127 least tern pairs in 2025, most of them found at Fowlers Beach on the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. DNREC said restoration work completed there in 2016 after Hurricane Sandy helped improve habitat for beach-nesting birds.
At The Point, nesting numbers have also varied significantly. DNREC reported no breeding activity in 2023 and documented 16 nesting attempts in 2024. In 2025, biologists identified 53 nesting attempts at Cape Henlopen, but no fledglings were known to survive at The Point because of extreme summer heat and predators including red foxes and coyotes.
To improve survival rates, DNREC teams installed 6-foot welded-wire fencing around 2.65 acres of nesting habitat. The fencing also includes a 2-foot skirt buried along the bottom to prevent animals from digging underneath.
Least terns are listed as a Tier 1 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the 2025 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan.
DNREC staff are also using decoys and sound playback systems to encourage least terns to nest inside the protected areas this summer.
“The joint effort between the DNREC divisions aims to provide a safe and nurturing space that will enable successful nesting and fledging of least terns and create a template for additional beach-nesting bird projects in the future,” said Chris Bennett, environmental stewardship program manager for DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation. “With the essential elements for species’ recovery order here – including conservation, protection, habitat and commitment from the public to give it the best chance of success – we’re optimistic about what can happen at The Point this year and into the future.”
More information about least terns, piping plovers and other beach-nesting birds is available at de.gov/beachnesters.
