Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

As a key staging area for shorebirds during migration, spring and fall are particularly outstanding times to visit this refuge for optimal photo opportunities. Situated on the elbow of picturesque Cape Cod, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has one of the last remaining wild seacoasts in New England. With nearly 8,000 acres, it attracts thousands of birds each year and at different intervals, but I have found spring and fall migration periods to be the most rewarding for bird photography. At low tide the ocean retreats quite far, exposing an expansive mudflat area that attracts thousands of shorebirds. I have been fortunate to sit or lay flat on the mudflats and photograph piping plovers, semipalmated plovers, American Oyster Catchers, black bellied plovers, least sandpipers, red knots, willets, terns, and short-billed dowitchers - among many others.

Exploring: Morris Island is the only portion of the refuge that is accessible by car; the remaining barrier islands that comprise the refuge are only accessible by boat. To explore Morris Island, you will need to backtrack out of the Headquarters parking lot by foot, take a left down a residential road and walk for a quarter mile or so until you see a trail on your left. By following the path down toward the ocean, you can start your walk along the loop of Morris Island. I enjoy walking to the ocean and heading right along the high sand cliffs all the way to the point where you can see the Stage Harbor Lighthouse across the water. Once you reach the point, you can follow the shoreline along Stage Harbor and reconnect with a trail that will lead you back to where you started. Depending on when you go, you are apt to see any number of birds in the water and on the shore (including swallows nesting in the cliff), horseshoe crabs, and seals.

Bird Photography: Bring your camera with a zoom lens, binoculars, and either a travel tripod or a skimmer (if you don’t mind getting low and wet on the mudflats). I highly recommend low tide for the best viewing and photo opportunities. Low tide welcomes hundreds of hungry birds to the rich habitat at Monomoy and in the height of migration you will see a great array of shorebirds, egrets, and cormorants. In summer, be sure to find a low tide opportunity in the early morning so you can enjoy the sanctuary before too many people arrive.

Getting there:  First, it is not super easy to find the parking lot at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Because the road weaves along residential areas and through a private, gated community, you can easily think you are in the wrong place, but you are not. Once through the private gate, you will see a sign and easily find the parking lot. From the parking lot, you can gain a few sweeping views, but you must work a little harder to hike on the refuge. Note: in all the times that you have visited this refuge, the Visitor’s Center has never been open. You may see a kiosk during the warm months, but mostly expect to explore on your own.

For more information: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/monomoy

Ruddy Turnstone