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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Cape May Inlet/Cape May National Wildlife Refuge- Two Mile Beach Unit
Cape May CountyCoordinates: N 38.95073
W 74.87664
Site Map Atlantic Coast: New England / Mid-Atlantic CoastArea: 1,058 Acres Habitat: Primarily open water, beach and dune, shrub-scrub and mixed woodsSite Description: This site consists of the open waters of Cape May Inlet, largely owned and maintained by the United States Coast Guard and the municipality of Cape May, and the Two Mile Beach Unit of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. The Two Mile Beach Unit contains approximately 500 acres of oceanfront beach, sand dunes, tidal salt marsh and one of the best remaining examples of maritime forest along the New Jersey coast. This IBA has been designated a Natural Heritage Priority Site by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.IBA Criteria:
| Criterion | Species |
| Conservation Concern – Federally-endangered; State-endangered (B) | Least Tern |
| Conservation Concern – Federally-threatened; State-endangered (B) | Piping Plover |
| Significant Migrant Stopover/Flyover (FM) | Shorebirds |
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| Black-bellied Plover | Jim Gilbert |
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Birds: State-endangered Piping Plovers and Least Terns regularly nest within the beach and dune habitats of Two Mile Beach and forage in the open waters of the inlet. From August to November, large numbers of songbirds rest and forage within the forested and scrub-shrub habitats during migration; raptors fly overhead and seabirds can be viewed flying out over the ocean. Over 5000 shorebirds can be present here during fall migration including: Sanderlings, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Dunlins, Black-bellied Plovers, Willets, Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers and Red Knots.Conservation: Heavy recreational boat traffic throughout Cape May Inlet increases disturbance to nesting and foraging birds. Additionally, runoff and sewage input from dense coastal development contribute to water pollution. To reduce pedestrian traffic and protect nesting habitat for birds, the 0.7 mile stretch of Two Mile Beach is closed annually from mid-April to mid-October.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Jetty at Two Mile Beach | Mark S. Garland |
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