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Ecotourism

Trails | Gardens | Water | Birding

The pursuit of birds in view appeals to lots of people for lots of reasons. Beyond the activity's obvious natural allure, "chasing" birds keeps watchers physically fit. Learning and identifying hundreds of species on the fly challenges the intellect and intensifies awareness. And for photographers and illustrators, there is no better subject. The concentration of ridges, valleys and wetlands in our area holds a fortune of interaction with the avian experience any time of year.

Spring: The spring thaw brings back all those species that migrated to warmer climates in the Fall. Waterfowl, including green-winged and blue-winged teal, ring necked and wood ducks, and pied billed grebes are some of the early waterfowl to show up as the ponds thaw. Positive signs of spring include the first red-winged blackbirds that start staking out territories during late February and eastern phoebes that sometimes come back even before their insect dinners come out. Eastern bluebirds also become more obvious in early spring. From late April through May our diversity of habitat brings dozens of types of warblers and vireos, scarlet tanagers, northern orioles, indigo buntings, thrushes and brown thrashers into our forests.

Summer: Northwestern New Jersey provides good nesting habitat for many of our springtime migrants. This part of NJ is the southern extreme for many boreal nesters and the northern tip for many species more typical of the southern pine forests. Although it is a bit harder to see the birds because of the leaf cover and the fact that many have stopped singing while brooding their eggs, they are still here for those that explore the proper habitat during the dog days of summer.

Fall: Hawk watching along any of the ridges in northwestern New Jersey is popular from September through early December, and you'll find organized hawk watches at Raccoon Ridge and Merrill Creek in Warren County and Sunrise Mountain, Stokes State Forest in Sussex County. The best time to look for hawks is after a weather system comes through when hawks can ride the thermals to conserve energy. There are usually good flights of broadwing hawks in late September. Sharp-shinned and Coopers hawks come through next in numbers. Later, the larger birds come through including redtail hawks, bald and a few golden eagles, vultures, ospreys and northern harriers. This time of year is good for passerine migration (songbirds, perching birds) also. Trails away from the ridges are also good for birding.

Winter: Waterfowl is usually abundant early in the winter as long as there is open water. Once the freeze is on, the ducks continue to move south. Winter is a great time to look for owls. The great horned owl, the largest regularly occurring owl in NW New Jersey, will usually begin nesting in January ­ look for a large, stick built nest in the fork of a tree. The great horned and the barred owl are the only "hoot" owls in NJ ­ both usually call late in the winter. Smaller owls like the eastern screech often take up residence for the winter in wood duck boxes. More rare wintering owls include long-eared and northern saw whet, deep within dense evergreen areas of the forest .

Winter bird feeding stations can bring backyard species to you. Common include: downy, hairy and redbellied woodpeckers coming to suet baskets, white breasted and red breasted nuthatches, black capped chickadees, tufted titmouse, american goldfinch (in their drab winter colors), tree and white-throated sparrows, northern cardinals, bluejays, house and purple finches, and, in some years, pine siskins, common redpolls and evening grosbeaks.

Donna Traylor

Somerset County

Hawk Watch at Chimney Rock

The Somerset County Park Commission provides and maintains a platform and parking lot for the hawk watch at this location on the First Watchung Ridge, the southernmost point in the Watchung range. Annual hawk migrations pass over this vantage point from naturalists perform official counting duties. The general public is encouraged to join them.
Washington Valley Park, Miller Lane, Martinsville, 908/722-1200

Environmental Education Center
Staffed birding trips are scheduled here and throughout the region from this Somerset County Park facility, one of three nature centers surrounding Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge 908/766-2489 Somerset County Parks

The Raptor Trust
Visit this premier privately-funded wild bird rehabilitation center. Open 7 days a week. 908/647-2353

Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
Headquarters for the NJ Audubon Society, the 265-acre sanctuary offers nature trails, tours, programs, nature store.
11 Hardscrabble Rd. Bernardsville, 908/766-5787

The Sourland Mountain Preserve
Birders have the advantage in the Sourlands, where many bird species, like summer tanagers and winter wrens, American woodcocks and warblers, appear in this overlap of north/south bird boundaries. Birders know it and come here all the time. Over 30,000 people a year visit this preserve.
East Mountain Road, Hillsborough, 908/766-2489 Somerset County Parks

Sussex County

Sunrise Mountain, Stokes State Forest
You can see as many as 600 or more birds in an hour's time at this prime raptor watching spot. Bald eagles are always a special sighting, particularly the first time. Listen to the comments of those around you. It is always a thrilling experience, for even the most veteran of bird watchers.
Branchville, 973/948-3820 NJ State Parks and Forests

Wallkill National Wildlife Refuge
More than 225 species of birds, including 21 species of waterfowl, occur on the refuge which provides 7,500 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. The Wood Duck Nature Trail offers a nature photography blind. The Liberty Loop circles wetland and grassland for 2.5 miles of prime bird and wildlife watching.
1547 Route 565, Sussex 973/702-7266

Warren County

Alpha Grasslands
Rare or unusual birds spotted in this area are grasshopper, vesper and savannah sparrows, short-eared owl, harrier, horned lark, snow bunting, lapland longspur, upland plover, bobolink and meadowlark.
Oberly Road, Alpha

Merrill Creek Reservoir
Scott's Mountain has a good view of the Delaware River valley and the reservoir, making it easy to see flying raptors in just about any direction. This hawk watch site has an added appeal: it is the best place to view Merrill Creek's resident bald eagles, their nest and offspring. In winter, snow geese become the main attraction.
34 Merrill Creek Road, 908/454-1213 website

Johnsonburg Swamp
The Conservancy land trust leads periodic hikes at the swamp.
Ridge and Valley Conservancy, 908/362-7989

Harmony Farmlands
The loop starts at Rt.. 621 (Brainards Road) off Rt.. 519, then right on River Road. Make another right on Garrison road and back to Rt. 519. You may see snow goose, great horned owl, rough-legged hawk, kestrel, bank swallow, great egret, semipalmated, pectoral and least sandpiper, black tern, meadowlark, bobolink, savannah, vesper and grasshopper sparrows, snow bunting, longspurs, horned lark and pipit.

Columbia Wildlife Management Area
Unusual birds seen at Columbia and Delaware Lakes are rusty blackbirds, red-necked grebe, black tern, cormorants, ruddy and canvasback ducks, white winged scoter, bald eagle, osprey, red-shouldered hawk, great egret and black crowned night heron.
Columbia Fish and Wildlife

Mountain Lake/Liberty Township
Rare or unusual birds seen here are barred owl, roosting black and turkey, pintail, canvasback and shoveler duck, lesser scaup, pied-billed grebe and coot.

Racoon Ridge
At 1,563 feet, on top of the Kittatinny Mountains, the ridge offers a sensational view, as well as spectacular flights. An average 15,000 hawks per season include northern goshawk, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed hawk (left), red-shouldered hawk, Broad-winged hawk, rough-legged hawk, golden eagle, bald eagle, northern harrier, osprey, peregrine falcon, merlin, and American kestrel.

Resources

New Jersey Audubon Society
The Society is currently working on Regional Birding Guides for all of New Jersey that will include suggested routes for day and weekend drives as well as other areas of natural interest.

But, Audubon is not just birds. New Jersey Audubon runs hundreds of programs a year, for pre-K kids to seniors, in 14 staffed centers throughout New Jersey. "We have an incredible diversity of natural history programs," says Tom Gilmore, President of New Jersey Audubon Society. "The topics range from butterflies and native plants to geology and the stars." It must work. Half a million people pass through the environmental centers annually. Others attend off-site walks guided by Audubon staff members. The Society also provides contact information for local bird clubs.
9 Hardscrabble Road, Bernardsville 908/204-8998