Salt Marsh · Water Mill
Mecox Bay
One of Long Island's two active Roseate Tern colonies and a documented Piping Plover breeding site. When the cut opens, the drained mudflats become a shorebird carousel.
Access & parking
Flying Point Road and Mecox Road both reach the bay. The cut at Mecox Beach opens and closes seasonally, concentrating shorebirds and terns on the exposed mudflats when it drains.
Parking: Flying Point Beach resident-only sticker in season; shoulder parking along Jobs Lane for bay access.
Restrooms: Seasonal restrooms at Flying Point Beach.
Difficulty: Stroller-friendly
When to go
Seasons: Spring Migration, Breeding, Fall Migration
Time of day: dawn
Target species
- Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
- Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)
- Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
- Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
- American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
- Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Rarities reported here
- Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia)
- Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)
Photography tips
The tern colony is cordoned off — a 500mm plus teleconverter from the cut edge is the only responsible distance. Never approach chicks, even if they appear abandoned.
eBird hotspot
Open this hotspot on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird database →
Nearby birds
Other salt marsh sites worth pairing on a day trip:
- Accabonac Harbor · Springs
- Dune Road — Shinnecock to Quogue · Quogue
Looking for the broader fauna calendar (whales, seals, sea turtles)? /wildlife covers every species on the East End.