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Ocean Tidal Flats Sandy Beach Dunes Salt Marsh
Coastal dunes form as dry beach sand blows inland. Plants act as a windbreak, trapping sand particles. The dunes become higher and wider as sand accumulates, protecting the coastline during storms. Colonies of common terns and other seabirds make their nests in the shelter of sand dunes. 
CLICK HERE TO SEE SHOREBIRD MIGRATION ROUTES CLICK HERE TO SEE HABITAT MAP OF PLYMOUTH BEACH
Common Tern PHOTO: 1 2 3
commontern
Common Terns are a characteristic species of the New England coast. They arrive in late April, and by mid-May thousands nest in the beach's dunes. Common Terns rely on group defense to protect their nests, and their scolding calls fill the air in mid-summer. Plymouth Beach is a critical nesting and resting habitat for a large portion of Massachusetts's breeding tern population, and one of only a few places in the northeast where so many terns can be seen in one place.
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