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Trail Guides
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Reeds Beach
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5
 
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Reeds Beach Road, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
www.state.nj.us/dep
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Turn Left out of the CMBO parking lot onto Route 47 South. Travel nearly four miles and Turn Right onto Reed’s Beach Rd. just after mile marker 11.5. Visit a brackish pond on the right side of Reed’s Beach Rd. approximately one half mile down. Then follow Reed’s Beach Rd. to its end and turn Right onto North Beach Ave. Continue to its end overlooking the mouth
of Bidwell’s Creek. Mind the Speed Limit and
No Stopping signs in this residential area. Map
The site is open all day, but beach access is restricted during spring shorebird migration season. Limited free parking is available at the north end of Beach Ave.,
outside of the marina. There is a seasonal
ecotourism parking fee of $1.00 to park in the marina lot.
The pond one half mile down the road on the right offers Green-winged Teal, Black-crowned Night-Heron and Great Blue Heron during the milder winter months. In spring, it is visited by Great and Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night-Heron and Glossy Ibis.
| | A rich diversity of birds and other wildlife make this stop a must during a visit to the area. From the end of the jetty, you can see the length of the coastline from East Point to North Cape May. It also offers fabulous sunsets over the Delaware Bay during any season.
Numbers of Snow Geese usually winter on the marshes. Bald Eagle are seen almost
daily and other winter raptors are also present, including Northern Harrier and the occasional Peregrine Falcon. You may see a Peregrine Falcon hunting among the over 1,000 Dunlin that usually roost on the end of the jetty.
Thousands of Red Knot, Sanderling
and Ruddy Turnstone use the beaches here in May to feed on horseshoe crab eggs, and their numbers peak toward the end of the month. Also be alert throughout this season for various other migrants, especially wading birds that take up temporary residence in the pond on the right side of the road one half mile from Rt. 47.
Biting insects are abundant, and wildlife observation is fairly slow. However, Brown Pelican and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel can be seen occasionally in the Delaware Bay. Southbound shorebirds will begin to appear in the marshes by July 4th each year.
Migrants, including raptors, waterfowl and passerines, may be deterred by the water crossing at Cape May Point and will turn back to travel north along the beaches of the bayshore. The best viewing is often in the morning hours.
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