Delaware Bay Division

The Delaware Bay Division of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is located in Middle Township near Cape May Court House, along the western portion of the New Jersey peninsula along the Delaware Bay. This area protects many habitat types such as salt marsh, forested uplands, forested wetlands and vernal pools, shrub/scrub, and grasslands. Each spring, the Delaware Bay hosts the second largest concentration of migrating shorebirds in North America. The Delaware Bay Division remains an extremely important area for horseshoe crab spawning and consequently, shorebird feeding and roosting. Shorebird species, including the red knot, sanderling and ruddy turnstone need to feed on these horseshoe crab eggs to gain sufficient weight to continue their migration to their summer breeding grounds. The Delaware Bay Division also attracts large numbers of waterfowl, marsh birds, raptors songbirds, reptiles and amphibians. The state listed southern gray tree frog and Eastern tiger salamander are also found here.

Songbird Trail - This 0.4-mile-long trail begins at the Headquarters Office off of Kimbles Beach Road This trail is a wheelchair accessible trail that begins in the parking lot, extends to the edge of shrub/scrub habitat, winds through a forest segment with vernal pools and ends along Kimbles Beach Road Often seen on this trail are American kestrels, bluebirds, and box turtles. Frogs regularly call from the vernal pools. 

Woodcock Trail - About 0.4 miles south of Kimbles Beach Road off of Route 47 is a residential road called Woodcock Lane.  At the end of this road is a parking area for access to Woodcock Trail.This trail is a one-mile-long loop through grassland habitat. There are also side trails of 0.4 miles that extend through a forested section and end at a view of the Delaware Bay salt marsh. Often seen here are great crested flycatchers, blue grosbeaks, a variety of sparrows, spotted turtles, and frogs.

Download Delaware Bay Map PDF