Beaches

Sep
01
The tight spiral of a sunset-color-streaked shell pushes out of damp beach sand.

Beaches Are Strewn with Scraps from a Ravenous Feast

Witness the detritus of one of the city's most voracious predators, the moon snail.
3 min read
Jun
14
Eight horseshoe crabs emerge from the waves onto the beach. Many are covered in barnacles and males are latched to females.

Horseshoe Crabs Lay Eggs Under a Full Moon

Weaving between discarded dogfish heads and tampon applicator flotsam, they are crawling.
3 min read
May
12
A particularly cute puffball of a shorebird with a tiny beak and big eyes patrols the Rockaway sands.

Piping Plovers On the Beach

Some of the city’s tiniest annual visitors have arrived to enjoy our shores, but they face formidable challenges.
3 min read