The Town of Cape Charles abuts the Chesapeake Bay on its western edge, with a buffer of dunes and a narrow strip of public beach access running north-south for about half a mile. Rocky breakwaters punctuate the Bay at intervals, and at the very southern end of the beach there is a fishing pier and a long rock jetty. As one of the most easily-accessible spots to view the Bay, the Cape Charles Beach provides plenty of opportunities for good birding at different times of the year. Perhaps the easiest way to bird here is to simply park a scope and enjoy a stationary seawatch. During the late fall, especially October, scanning here might net a Parasitic or Pomarine Jaeger. In the winter months, scoping the Bay here is an excellent way to find a good assortment of sea ducks, including Red-breasted Mergansers, Long-tailed Ducks, all three scoters, and perhaps the occasional eider on a lucky day, as well as Horned Grebes, Common and Red-throated Loons, and Northern Gannets. Red-necked Grebe has been reported here, and it is conceivable that careful scanning could someday turn up an Eared or Western Grebe, or a Pacific Loon. Brant are often right in the coves, offering fairly close views of these elegant geese. The breakwaters off the southern jetty are often covered with hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans, though the latter become scarce in the dead of winter. Check the cormorants carefully, as Great Cormorants can sometimes join them. On the closer rocks, Ruddy Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers are often milling about, occasionally offering excellent views. American Oystercatchers are present year-round.
Gulls and terns will sometimes form roosts here, particularly in adverse weather when they are driven to ground at the first sheltered spot they can find. Particularly in the fall, these roosts are worth checking for rarities such as California and Franklin’s Gull (both previously recorded), or Sabine’s Gull (not yet reported). If a tropical storm or hurricane passes through, this can be a spot for storm birding (if conditions permit), and Sooty Tern has been seen in the Cape Charles harbor. Shorebirds, too, sometimes drop in here during foul weather, though there is usually not much species diversity. Gulls will continue to loaf on the beach throughout the winter; Great Black-backed, Herring, and Ring-billed predominate, while Laughers have all cleared out by the winter and Lesser Black-backeds only rarely drop in. By late April, terns begin arriving and as the summer progresses, a good assortment of species can be seen here. Least, Common, Forster’s, and Royal will all begin turning up by late April, while Sandwich and Caspian usually show up later in the summer, around the end of July or beyond. Late summer also holds out the possibility of Black Tern, which is infrequently reported, while there is an Arctic Tern record from August. Gulls are less noteworthy in summer, with Laughing predominating, but a late-June Glaucous Gull stands as an exciting occurrence.
While waterbirds are the clear highlights here, other species nonetheless merit a mention. Ospreys are abundant here in the summer months, piercing the air with their shrill calls. A pair typically nests on a platform at the north end of the beach, providing for wonderful viewing and photography. In a Snowy Owl invasion year, check the open beach here for one of these northern wanderers, as this species has been recorded in the past. Between the beach and town, there is a series of grassy dunes which can sometimes provide shelter for passerines. Savannah Sparrows are common here from late fall, and Ipswich are occasionally among them. The dune grasses and seaside goldenrod also make this a fine spot to look for Common Redpoll in the right year. Open country birds are worth considering; there are records of Snow Bunting, but this would also be a fine location for a Northern Wheatear or White Wagtail.
Accessibility: The beach is free and open to the public at all times, with free street parking all along Bay Avenue and access points at each block. There is a wooden fishing pier that is also open to the public, and the town provides a saltwater fishing and crabbing license for all comers. There are two wooden observation platforms overlooking the beach, which can be a good spot to set up a scope on days when the beach is crowded. At the southern end, there are also restroom facilities (and the building makes a convenient blind for scanning the harbor during storms). Occasionally, hot dog or Italian ice vendors will set up here in the summer.
Owner/Manager: Town of Cape Charles
eBird Hotspot: Cape Charles Beach
—Matt Anthony, December 2020