Sandpipers & Plovers

Sandpiper

The Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia is the most common member of a large family of long-legged shorebirds.

They are commonly seen teetering about on beaches and salt marshes, although they may also be found in disused parking lots and other places. The breast is spotted only during the breeding season; in winter it is plain white.

Plovers are similar.


Eelgrass

Zostera marina

Size: to 36"

Seagrass: Nature's Nursery

Seagrasses are a group of approximately 50 species of vascular plants that complete their entire life cycle fully submerged in the marine environment. The most common and ecologically important seagrasses in New Jersey are eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) and widgeon grass ( Ruppia maritima ). Widgeon grass, however, is actually a fresh/brackish water plant with extreme salinity tolerance and is therefore sometimes not classified as a "true" marine seagrass.

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