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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Mordecai Island
Ocean CountyCoordinates: N 39.55786
W 74.25124
Site Map Atlantic Coast: New England / Mid-Atlantic CoastArea: 46 Acres Habitat: Salt marsh with sandy beachesSite Description: Mordecai Island is a 45 acre uninhabited coastal salt marsh island contained within the Barnegat Bay complex. The island’s uplands, tidal marshes, salt ponds, intertidal zones and eel grass beds support a variety of breeding and migratory bird species. The site intersects the Manahawkin Bay Natural Heritage Priority Macrosite, designated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as some of NJ’s most significant habitats.IBA Criteria:
| Criterion | Species |
| Conservation Concern – State-endangered (B) | Black Skimmer |
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| Black Skimmer | Bill Dalton |
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Birds: Mordecai Island is of particular significance to about 50 pairs of state-endangered Black Skimmers and between 4-10 pairs of American Oystercatchers. Nesting colonial waterbirds have established a large colony on the island as well. Additional species breeding or foraging on the island include state-endangered American Bitterns, Least Terns, and Northern Harriers, state-threatened Black-crowned Night-Herons and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, and approximately 150 pairs of state-special concern Common Terns.Conservation: Severe erosion of the western shores of Mordecai Island has resulted in the loss of 26 acres of habitat since the 1930s. Strong tidal currents, wake from vessels traveling the NJ Intracoastal Waterway, sea level rise and increased development along the adjacent barrier island, Long Beach Island, has likely accelerated the loss of marsh and beach habitat. The Mordecai Land Trust, a community-based organization founded in 2001 to preserve the island, is working with the Army Corps of Engineers and NJDEP to implement two restoration projects with the goal of inhibiting erosion.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Mordecai Island | Mordecai Land Trust |
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