DNREC will reopen a part of the oceanside beach at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park next week.
A stretch of the beach opens Tuesday, September 1, while The Point’s bayside beach remains closed until October 1 for shorebirds migrating south for the winter.
Since 1993, The Point closes annually every March for the benefit of threatened and endangered beach-nesting and migratory shorebirds including piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns, red knots and other species.
It reopens in late summer or early fall for beachgoers and anglers.
DNREC is boasting a successful season with a boost in numbers for least terns - a state-endangered species. The Division of Fish and Wildlife counted approximately 150 least tern nests.
Half of those nests were located inside fencing put up this year to improve the birds’ chances of survival.
There were also least tern decoys and a battery-powered music box broadcasting bird calls to encourage nesting in the area.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife counted 125 least tern chicks. With the season still active, the area is expected to produce about 60 fledglings.
The Point also attracted 10 pairs of piping plovers – a federally-endangered species – that fledged 12 chicks.
