WhenToBird

Birding spot · Cape May County, New Jersey

Birding at Ocean City Estuary or Marsh: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Ocean City Estuary or Marsh are Brant (84%), American Herring Gull (78%), and Double-crested Cormorant (63%). It is busiest in fall, when 56 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in mid October (75 species). 179 species have been reported here across 3,666 complete checklists from 1,772 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Jan 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (4 checklists)Feb 1-7: low data (1 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (4 checklists)Feb 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Feb 22-28: low data (4 checklists)Mar 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Mar 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Mar 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Mar 22-31: 45 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsApr 1-7: 50 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsApr 8-14: 45 species on 5%+ of 91 checklistsApr 15-21: 45 species on 5%+ of 148 checklistsApr 22-30: 45 species on 5%+ of 255 checklistsMay 1-7: 51 species on 5%+ of 238 checklistsMay 8-14: 50 species on 5%+ of 368 checklistsMay 15-21: 55 species on 5%+ of 382 checklistsMay 22-31: 44 species on 5%+ of 298 checklistsJun 1-7: 46 species on 5%+ of 191 checklistsJun 8-14: 48 species on 5%+ of 180 checklistsJun 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 181 checklistsJun 22-30: 46 species on 5%+ of 193 checklistsJul 1-7: 47 species on 5%+ of 119 checklistsJul 8-14: 46 species on 5%+ of 120 checklistsJul 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 108 checklistsJul 22-31: 48 species on 5%+ of 126 checklistsAug 1-7: 55 species on 5%+ of 74 checklistsAug 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 88 checklistsAug 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsAug 22-31: 44 species on 5%+ of 65 checklistsSep 1-7: 50 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsSep 8-14: 46 species on 5%+ of 32 checklistsSep 15-21: 57 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsSep 22-30: 58 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsOct 1-7: 58 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsOct 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsOct 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsOct 22-31: low data (9 checklists)Nov 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Nov 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Nov 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Nov 22-30: 37 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsDec 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Dec 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Dec 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Dec 22-31: 41 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Brant84%
  2. 2American Herring Gull78%
  3. 3Double-crested Cormorant63%
  4. 4Mallard63%
  5. 5Song Sparrow63%
  6. 6Great Black-backed Gull59%
  7. 7Yellow-rumped Warbler59%
  8. 8American Black Duck53%
  9. 9Great Blue Heron53%
  10. 10White-throated Sparrow44%
  11. 11Bufflehead41%
  12. 12American Goldfinch31%
  13. 13Ring-billed Gull31%
  14. 14American Oystercatcher25%
  15. 15Dark-eyed Junco22%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 38 species

  1. American Herring Gull84%
  2. Brant82%
  3. Bufflehead82%
  4. American Black Duck73%
  5. Great Black-backed Gull69%

Spring 51 species

  1. Black-crowned Night Heron93%
  2. Yellow-crowned Night Heron93%
  3. Great Egret91%
  4. Glossy Ibis87%
  5. Boat-tailed Grackle83%

Summer 48 species

  1. Black-crowned Night Heron96%
  2. Great Egret95%
  3. Yellow-crowned Night Heron90%
  4. Laughing Gull88%
  5. Glossy Ibis87%

Fall 56 species

  1. American Herring Gull69%
  2. Great Egret68%
  3. White Ibis63%
  4. Mallard60%
  5. Black-crowned Night Heron49%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across New Jersey.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.