Must Do Events & Natural Phenomenon on the Bayshore
January – Recover from the holiday hustle and bustle in one of the most peaceful, beautiful places on earth to visit and to live …
- Hear Owls calling to each other; watch for buffleheads and mergansers on Bayshore waterways; snow geese amass in select marshes and fields; White Tail Deer antler sheds can start being found in the woods.
February – EagleFest at Bayshore Center at Bivalve and Mauricetown Fire Hall first Saturday.
- Winter eagles everywhere; look for River Otters especially when waterways are frozen.
March – History comes alive at Hancocks Bridge; Last Sunday Port Norris Fire Co Oyster & Ham dinner.
- Herring runs start late in the month – Alewife and blue-black; Pintail ducks passing through.
April – Run for the Schooner 5k Run & walk through the marsh;
- Ospreys return; Warblers – Belleplain is a great place to spot them, Shad migration heads up the Delaware River. Delaware River Shad Fishermen’s Association – Call 610-954-0577 or 610-954-0578 for the latest updates. Pretty white Shad bushes in bloom near marshy areas.
May – Eco Fair at Wheaton Arts; Fortescue Horseshoe Crab Festival, Fortescue; Salem County Arts in Bloom studio tour, World Series of Birding; Port Norris Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary Mother’s Day Flower Sale Saturday before Mother’s Day; Cedarville Memorial Day Parade
- Horseshoe Crabs in droves on beaches; Red Knots & shorebirds passing through and fattening up on Horseshoe Crab Eggs; Drum fish running in the Bay.
June – Delaware Bay Day – 1st Saturday in June; Lenape Pow Wow at Salem Fairgrounds 2nd weekend HSC
- Great crabbing and fishing; fawns born to does all over the Bayshore and the Horseshoe Crabs still doing their dances on Bayshore beaches; migratory shorebird still around early in the month but soon on their way to the arctic circle to lay their eggs and raise their families.
July – Cumberland County Fair, Fortescue 4th of July Parade; Obon Festival, Buddhist Temple, Seabrook, 2nd Saturday; BCB Maritime Day 3rd Saturday.
- Matts landing – Birds and crabs galore! Cow nosed rays mating as they glide along the Bay’s Surface; great time for kayaking and oysters spawning when water temperatures reach 72 degrees F.
August – Bivalve Bayshore Heritage Weekend; Purple Martin Extravaganza; National Night Out – Halleyville, MRT; Bellvue Seafood Festival; Cohansey RiverFest (Crab Fest) 3rd weekend.
- Dragonflies abound; blue-winged teal passing through; raptors and many migratory birds collecting to start heading south – Purple Martins darken the skies over certain areas of the Maurice River and people the telephone wires all along the waterways, Crabbing is hot in tributaries up and down the Bayshore.
September – Teaburner 5k, Greenwich Craft Faire (AJ MEERWALD in Greenwich, too, Woodstown Fall Fest & Alpaca Farm Days 4th Weekend; Founders Day, Vineland.
- Monarch Butterflies in the air; Crabbing still good in creeks; hawk migration in full swing.
October – Deerfield Harvest Festival, 2nd weekend; Lighthouse Challenge, 3rd weekend – don’t miss East Point!
- Stripers and Bluefish and Perch running – try surf fishing in Fortescue.
November – BCB OysterFest, 1st Friday, Greenview Inn; Port Norris Ladies Auxillary Craft Fair, 2nd Saturday; Wheaton Craft Fair Jolly Holly 5k; Millville Christmas Parade TG Friday; Vineland Christmas Parade TG Sat; Bridgeton Christmas Parade, TG Sunday.
- Deer in rut – can be seen more as they throw caution to the wind over romance; small game season.
December – Santa visits East Point Lighthouse, 2nd Sat; Bridgeton Holiday House Tours in Bridgeton, Greenwich, Mauricetown, Dennisville and Woodstown; Santa Express – Tuckahoe to Richland, Deer week 2nd week ,
- Woodcocks staging after the first long hard frost; major meteor showers.