Oceanfront dunes

Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary

A protected heronry in the dunes, set aside for nesting birds.

The Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary is a protected heronry in the oceanfront dunes. It is set aside for nesting birds, including herons and egrets.

The way to see it is from outside the protected area. It is not a trail to walk through the nesting ground.

Dune grass and a wooden fence along a wide beach, with the Atlantic Ocean and coastal houses beyond.
Dunes along the Stone Harbor oceanfront.

How to visit

Stay outside the protected area. The dunes here are nesting habitat, not a park path. Observe from the boundary rather than entering.

The sanctuary sits on the ocean side of town. The swimming beach beside that shoreline is still the borough beach. Summer beach tags follow borough rules when you are on the beach itself.

Before you visit

The sanctuary is protected nesting habitat. Observe from outside the protected area and check current borough or sanctuary information for programs and visitor guidance.

Questions

Common questions

Can I walk into the bird sanctuary?

No. It is a protected heronry. Watch from outside the protected area rather than walking in.

Is the sanctuary the same as the beach?

It is in the oceanfront dunes beside the Atlantic shoreline. The beach itself is the borough beach, with its own tag rules in summer.

Keep reading

Beaches

Dune crossings and summer tags along the same shoreline.

Beach guide

How entrances and tags work on a beach day.