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Trail Guides
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Lower Township Beach Access Point
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9
 
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Lincoln Drive, North Cape May, NJ 08204
Phone: (609) 886-7880
Lower Township
Take Millman Blvd., CR 642 back out to Bayshore Road.
Turn Right onto Bayshore Road, CR 603.
Bayshore Road will lead you all the way through the Villas and Townbank.
Turn Right onto Route 9, Lincoln/Sandman Blvd. and take this road to the end.
There is a small parking area in front of the beach. Map
Some birds, gulls in particular, are “wake-followers,” chasing moving boats in search of fish and vegetation churned up by propellers. The large ferry boats and other private and commercial
vessels create traffic the gulls simply can’t resist, allowing observers close-up views.
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| Laughing Gull | Kevin Karlson |
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| | There is much to see at this well-maintained stretch of bayshore beach, not the least of which is the comings and goings of the picturesque Cape May Lewes Ferry boats. It is perhaps best known for gull watching, as you may find a Black-headed or Little Gull among the hundreds of wintering Bonaparte’s Gull. Or, you may be the one to spot the first Laughing Gull of spring. The site offers easy access to the beach, ample parking, both here and at the adjacent David Douglass Park. It is an excellent vantage point from which to view migrating seabirds on the Delaware Bay.
Scan the Delaware Bay for waterfowl and seabirds, and sort through the flocks of gulls roosting on the lawns or feeding in the inlet.
A walk out on the jetty can produce wintering sandpipers and Great Cormorant. A walk north along the dunes can produce wintering Horned Lark, pipits, and occasional rarities.
Gulls and terns are abundant as spring unfolds. Along the beach, anything can be expected, and in late spring, horseshoe crabs spawn here, attracting hungry shorebirds.
This is a great time to work on your tern identification skills. Readily compare the Least, Royal, Common and Forster’s Terns – much easier said than done! Then, be thankful for the occasional Osprey, comparatively straightforward to identify due to its large size and the striking “M” pattern that extends its entire wingspan.
This is another excellent site from which to observe the migration of seabirds. At their peak in October, tens of thousands of scoters may pass by, along with hundreds of Northern Gannet. The early morning passage of Parasitic Jaeger leaving the Delaware Bay in September and October is a little known phenomenon that is readily observed from this site.
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