The piping plover is an endangered species that nests on the beach of the Point in Cape Henlopen State Park. /DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will reopen a stretch of oceanside beach at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Point’s bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

The Point has closed annually since 1993 each March for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesters and migratory shorebirds, including piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns, red knots and other species before reopening in the late summer-early fall for beachgoers and anglers.

The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to increase beach-nester and migratory shorebird populations. Closing The Point to park visitors provides an area of undisturbed beach and intertidal habitat for a host of shorebirds, gulls, terns and other waterbirds to rest and feed after the breeding season, one of only three in the state.

During this year’s closure, nine piping plover chicks successfully fledged from nests at The Point. More than 27 least tern chicks hatched, and broods are still active on the beach as well as fledgling least terns from other sites. An additional full report on beach-nesting bird activity in the closed area will be released by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife after the conclusion of the breeding season.

While piping plovers nest in isolation and their nests can be enclosed with protective fencing, least terns nest in colonies and cannot be enclosed to protect them from predators. All active broods of least terns are on the oceanside of The Point and may still be present after the area opens, so the divisions ask for caution when driving or walking in this area.

Thus far in 2025, 24 species of shorebirds, including breeding species as well as migrant such as federally threatened red knot, 10 species of terns including the federally threatened roseate tern, and six species of gull are among the species observed at The Point since the area closed on March 1.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo and the Indian River Marina.  For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Beth Kuhles-Heiney, elizabeth.kuhlesheiney@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Piping plovers – a federally-listed threatened species and state-listed endangered species – have made a new nest at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park, which will result in temporary closure of a portion of the beach for the nesting plovers’ protection. Photo by Shelagh Lynch

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced that the first piping plover nest discovered at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park since 2016 will result in the temporary closure of 800 feet of beach for protection of the new nest and any piping plover chicks that may hatch and fledge from it. The piping plover is listed as a state-endangered species in Delaware by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife in addition to its threatened status listing on the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) under the protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

During the closure, which goes into effect Monday, June 26, DNREC will install fencing around the nest with the possibility of extending fence footage to accommodate movement by the piping plover parents and potential chicks within Cape Henlopen State Park. Though the first such closure for protection of piping plovers at Gordons Pond in seven years, the species has nested there on a number of occasions since they were ESA-listed in 1986. The protective fencing will extend to the high water mark on a portion of Cape Henlopen’s ocean beach while symbolic fencing – cautionary signage on fence posts tied off by twine – will be another deterrent at Gordons Pond to entering the nesting area in the dune, which is prohibited at all times.

Another stretch of beach at Cape Henlopen, The Point, is currently closed through Sept. 1 (Oct. 1 for The Point’s bayside beach), as it has been annually since 1993 for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesting and migratory shorebird species to include red knots, piping plovers, American oystercatchers and least terns. The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 on a management plan to help grow shorebird populations in Delaware – with USFWS oversight for protective measures on the shorebirds’ behalf.

During the protective period, drive-on surf fishing reservations for weekends and holidays will continue to be taken by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, but surf fishing access will be slightly limited due to the closed beach area’s proximity to the newly-discovered piping plover nest. Drive-on surf fishing access will be permitted from Herring Point and Gordons Pond; however, anglers will not be able to access Gordons Pond from the Herring Point access, or vice versa. Driving through the closed piping plover area is prohibited during this time and could result in fines from Delaware Natural Resources Police Park Rangers or USFWS, or both, should the nest or the piping plovers be adversely impacted. Closure restrictions are to be enforced as long as the nest remains active, which, by USFWS calculations, could run well into August.

Since it was launched earlier this spring, the pilot surf fishing program’s peak daily reservation sales portal has combined Herring Point and Gordons Pond as a single reservable location. To accommodate restrictions on surf fishing vehicles during the temporary closure, the sales portal has been updated to offer separate reservation options for drive-on access to either Herring Point or Gordons Pond. Runners and other recreationalists are also prohibited from entering the restricted piping plover protection area during the closure at Cape Henlopen.

For more information about piping plovers and DNREC volunteer opportunities for monitoring the beach-nesting species, contact DNREC Avian Conservation Program Manager Sam Robinson at 302-735-8667, or email Samantha.Robinson@delaware.gov. For more information about surf fishing in Delaware, including surf fishing reservation availability and current beach accessibility at Delaware State Parks’ drive-on beaches, visit destateparks.com/SurfTagSales.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Updates on other beachnesting birds

LEWES – The data is in, and DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is reporting another successful nesting season for piping plovers in Delaware. For the second year in a row, Delaware established its all-time high number of recorded nesting piping plover pairs, with 19 pairs producing 52 fledglings.

Last year, Delaware had 16 pairs producing 36 fledglings. In 2019, four pairs of piping plovers nested at the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, with 15 pairs nesting at Fowler Beach at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a relatively new nesting site used by nesting piping plovers starting in 2016 following a habitat restoration project.

For the third year in a row, piping plovers did not nest at Gordons Pond within Cape Henlopen State Park, possibly due to the combined factors of encroaching vegetation limiting sandy nesting habitat, and the availability of more attractive nesting habitat at Fowler Beach.

The piping plover is a federally-listed threatened species and a Delaware state-listed endangered species. Recovery of the species involves partnerships between DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife and Division of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services.

In other beachnesting bird updates, two pairs of American oystercatchers nested at the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park and one pair nested at Delaware Seashore State Park, but none successfully hatched chicks. Approximately 23 pairs of least terns were found nesting at Cape Henlopen State Park this year, hatching two chicks, one of which fledged.

For additional information on piping plovers or other beachnesting birds, please call Henrietta Bellman with the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Species Conservation and Research Program at 302-735-3600.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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LEWES (April 11, 2019) – Volunteers wanting to help protect Delaware’s beachnesting birds, including federally-listed threatened piping plovers, are invited to join DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife monitoring team at a training session to be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 4, at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Biden Environmental Training Center, 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, DE 19958.

The training session will begin with a slideshow, followed by a discussion about the monitoring program and how volunteers can help ensure that beachnesting shorebirds are not disturbed while nesting and rearing their chicks. Light refreshments will be provided.

Weather permitting, the group will finish the session by venturing out to the Point at Cape Henlopen to look for piping plovers and other shorebirds likely to be feeding on the tidal flats. Birding scopes and binoculars will be available for use, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own optics if they have them.

Volunteers are an important component in the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s conservation efforts. When stationed on the boundaries of the bird nesting areas, volunteers can explain to beachgoers the importance of closing these nesting areas to prevent human disturbance and to increase the nesting success of the birds.

Pre-registration for the training is encouraged, but volunteers also will be accepted at the door. Park entrance fees will be waived for volunteers attending the training. For more information on the training, beachnesting birds, or monitoring efforts, please visit piping plover or contact Henrietta Bellman at 302-735-3612 or Henrietta.Bellman@delaware.gov.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 91

Updates on other beachnesting birds

LEWES – The data is in, and DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife is reporting a successful nesting season for piping plovers in Delaware, with an all-time high number of 16 breeding pairs producing 36 fledglings. Four pairs of piping plovers nested at the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, and 12 pairs nested at Fowler Beach at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a relatively new breeding site that was first used by nesting piping plovers in 2016 following a habitat restoration project.

For the second year in a row, piping plovers did not nest at Gordons Pond within Cape Henlopen State Park, possibly due to the combined factors of encroaching vegetation limiting sandy nesting habitat and the availability of more attractive nesting habitat at Fowler Beach.

The piping plover is a federally-listed threatened species and a state-listed endangered species in Delaware. Species recovery involves partnerships between DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife and Division of Parks & Recreation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In other beachnesting bird updates, one pair of American oystercatchers successfully hatched and fledged a single chick at the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park. No least terns were found nesting at Cape Henlopen State Park this year for the first time since the state began monitoring least tern nesting in 2006.

For additional information on piping plovers or other beachnesting birds, please call Audrey DeRose-Wilson with the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Species Conservation and Research Program at 302-735-3600.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902