Let’s Give the Birds a Big Hand
Red Knots
At some point in your day, stop for a moment. If you can, open a window or step outside. Do you feel it? There’s a change in the air. It carries the breath of spring and the promise of warm, sunny days, evening light, and renewal. There’s something else, though, and for many it fills the air with a sense of electric anticipation: Spring migration is almost upon us. Birders everywhere are gearing up for one of nature’s great spectacles as millions of migratory birds set off on their epic journeys – a flood of birds bound for points north. And when this feathered wave breaks, there’s no better place to be than right where we are.
American Goldfinch
To anyone who has only experienced New Jersey from inside a moving vehicle on the way somewhere else, the idea of it being a haven of natural beauty might seem crazy. Get off the Turnpike or Parkway, though, and a different world emerges. It’s here, in salt marshes and state parks, along shorelines and waterways, in wildlife refuges and backyard gardens, where the Garden State comes to life. New Jersey is a treasure trove of natural beauty, offering up its rewards to those willing to step off the road more traveled and explore. And if you happen to be a birder, the rewards are considerable.
In a state rich in birding hotspots, Cape May County holds the highest concentration – and within that, Cape May itself is arguably New Jersey’s crown jewel. For those vacationing in Avalon, Stone Harbor, or Sea Isle it’s just a short ride to one of the best places in the world to bird. Rare varieties appear with alarming regularity, and during migration, common birds abound in numbers that often stagger the imagination, spinning out a vast network of life.
Like a successful restaurant or vacation spot, the key to this avian richness is location, location, location. This area is a bird magnet, sitting squarely in the heart of the Atlantic Flyway. This 10,000-mile migratory superhighway connects islands in the Canadian Arctic to Tierra del Fuego at the extreme end of South America, and boasts some of the most productive ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere.
Millions of birds migrate along this flyway twice a year, every year. Some, like red knots and sanderlings, traverse its full extent, while others – snowy egrets and gray catbirds, for example – move much shorter distances. The Delaware Bay also plays a role in drawing migrants, presenting north- and southbound birds with a migratory hurdle. Northbound birds crossing it in spring come to rest at the first land they see – Cape May, at the tip of the New Jersey peninsula. Here, ravenous and exhausted, they refuel and recover. Birds traveling south interrupt their journeys here to gain strength and rebuild fat supplies, waiting for favorable weather conditions to make the crossing and continue on their way.
This combination of location and geography makes our area a critical stopover. Countless numbers of migratory birds representing hundreds of species – warblers, raptors, herons, swallows, waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds and others – all descend on the area to rest and feed.
There’s a third factor at play that contributes to our biannual avian spectacle. It’s largely responsible for the remarkable density of birds one can find here during migration, but it is a bit sobering: habitat loss. Development, recreational use, and the impacts of climate change are dramatically altering the area’s wildlands, leaving less room for the birds that rely on them for shelter and sustenance, and changing the makeup of the habitat that remains. This concentrates more birds into less space, making them more visible but affecting their long-term survival.
For birds dealing with the trials of migration, this poses yet another challenge. It has a more pronounced effect, though, on the birds for which Cape May is the final stop on the migratory journey. Increasing development and sea-level rise threaten habitat that breeding birds need to nest and raise their young. In addition, our desire for unrestricted recreational land use often stands in direct conflict with the survival needs of the birds. In some areas – notably our beaches and salt marshes – these threats overlap, birds losing critical nesting habitat to development, recreation, and sea-level rise, pushing already stressed birds to the brink.
The upshot is that human activity is putting some of our most familiar birds at risk. The American black duck, eastern meadowlark, black skimmer, American oystercatcher, American robin, scarlet tanager and American kestrel are all in danger of moderate-to-severe impact on their populations. Even the ubiquitous and adaptable laughing gull isn’t immune: Repeated nest-site flooding is causing declines in this common bird. And if we continue on our current trend of warming temperatures, most climate projections show the American goldfinch losing much, if not all, of its breeding habitat. If nothing changes, New Jersey’s state bird could disappear.
It was concern for situations like this that drove Herbert Mills more than 50 years ago. He knew that if left unchecked, rampant development would devour the acres of pristine salt marsh stretching the length of South Jersey’s coast. He knew that the loss of such an invaluable resource would be catastrophic for the vast network of life that depended on the marshes for food and shelter, as well as the coastal communities that relied on the marshes for protection from storm surges and flooding. He also knew that few – if any – people were aware of the critical services the marshes provided. And so he took action. Mills had a vision: undisturbed salt marsh acting as a buffer and a nursery, sustaining the life within and around it, and a world-class organization – The Wetlands Institute – dedicated to its conservation and to educating people about the importance of protecting it.
Now, the need for protection is greater than ever. Salt marshes, grasslands, shorelines and forests – and the myriad creatures that rely on them for survival – are all at risk from changes largely wrought by us. And it’s up to us once again to defend them.
We all have a choice: We can take bold steps now to secure a safe haven for our wild spaces and all that depend on them. Or we can look back with regret for the actions we didn’t take, the voices we didn’t raise, the help we didn’t give. It’s up to all of us to imagine the world we want and to take action to create it. If we want to give wildlife more room, we’ll have to commit to taking up less ourselves. If we want to decrease our impact on our environment and the lives of the animals within, we must start living more conscientiously, and find or adopt more sustainable ways to fuel our own lives.
The challenges we face are great, but together we will overcome them. This is the beginning, and The Wetlands Institute’s vision for the future is 20/20. If each of us moves forward with purpose and a commitment to stewardship, we can all ensure that the wildlands around us continue to prosper for generations to come. All we need is a clear vision, the drive to see it through, and the wisdom to pass it on.
Here at The Wetlands Institute, we have a front-row seat for the spring spectacle and we invite you to experience it with us. Our grounds provide visitors with an intimate view of the creatures of the marsh, and the chance to create deep connections with the life that surrounds us. We welcome you to visit us here, or take part in our Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival and join us as we celebrate the wonders of migration and the animals that undertake this incredible journey. The only requirement is curiosity.
