The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park to Close March 1 to Protect Nesting, Migrating Birds

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) will close The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean and bay beach, starting Sunday, March 1st, to protect the nesting grounds and migratory paths for threatened and endangered species, including piping plovers, American oystercatchers, least terns, red knots and other species. The Point’s beach on the ocean side will reopen to the public September 1st. The bayside beach will remain closed until October 1st for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter. The dunes, the area behind the symbolic PVC fencing at the top of the beach, are always off limits to visitors to protect this sensitive habitat.

Since 1993, The Point has closed annually for most of the spring and summer for the benefit of threatened and endangered bird species, and the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife regularly conducts surveys to monitor impacts to the populations at this and other locations. In 2025, piping plovers saw mixed results in Delaware: adult pairs increased to a record nine at The Point, but statewide nesting success declined due to predation and weather, though productivity there remained typical. At The Point, two American oystercatcher pairs nested but produced no fledglings. Least terns made 53 nesting attempts; while some eggs hatched, no fledglings were confirmed.