LEWES, Del. — The oceanside beach at The Point in Cape Henlopen State Park will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 1, following a successful nesting season for endangered and threatened shorebirds, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
The Point's bayside beach will remain closed through Wednesday, Sept. 30, and reopen Thursday, Oct. 1. DNREC said the continued closure will give shorebirds migrating south for the winter an undisturbed place to rest and feed.
The Point has closed annually each March since 1993 to protect beach-nesting and migratory shorebirds, including piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and red knots. The area typically reopens in late summer or early fall for beachgoers and anglers.
DNREC's divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 on a management plan aimed at increasing beach-nesting and migratory shorebird populations. The closure protects beach and intertidal habitat used by shorebirds, gulls, terns and other waterbirds.
The plots use 6-foot fencing with a 2-foot skirt beneath the area to help keep predators away from nesting birds. The project also used least tern decoys and a battery-powered music box that broadcasts least tern calls to encourage the birds to nest there.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife counted about 150 least tern nests at The Point, with roughly half inside the fenced areas. The division also counted 125 least tern chicks. With the nesting season continuing, the area is expected to produce about 60 fledglings.
Ten pairs of federally endangered piping plovers also nested at The Point this season and fledged 12 chicks, according to DNREC.
Reservations for the Point Crossing drive-on surf fishing beach on the oceanside open Tuesday, Aug. 25, for the Aug. 29-30 weekend. Reservations will open Sept. 1 for the Sept. 5-6 weekend and Sept. 3 for Labor Day, Sept. 7.
