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Introduction
New Jersey is one of the smallest states, with only 7,836 square miles, and it has the greatest population density of any state. Nevertheless, the remarkable diversity of its birdlife surpasses that of many much larger states. The wealth of New Jersey's birdlife has been surveyed by Charles F. Leck (1984) in his book The Status and Distribution of New Jersey's Birds and more rec ently in Birds of New Jersey, published by New Jersey Audubon Society (1999). The latter book is based on the Breeding Bird Atlas, conducted 1993-1997, many years of Christmas Bird Count data, analysis of Records of New Jersey Birds, and reports submitted to the New Jersey Bird Records Committee.
Well over 400 species of birds have been recorded in New Jersey (about 420 species are well documented, and there are unsubstantiated reports of numerous others), and an active birder can hope to see more than 300 species in a year. A big-day team in May 1984 broke the previous record by finding 202 species in New Jersey in one day; this total was broken in 1987 with 205 species, and the record now tops 220. Only about a dozen states have big-day records of 200 or more species by teams following the rules of the American Birding Association. About 190 species nest in New Jersey in any given year; more than 200 species have nested here at least once.
The enormous variety of New Jersey's birdlife stems from a favorable geographical situation and a wide diversity of habitats. As a coastal state, New Jersey attracts an abundance of ducks, geese, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and other water-associated species. It lies on a major flyway for the migration of many of these birds, and serves as a nesting area or wintering ground for many others. In addition, the nearby offshore waters harbor a wide variety of pelagic birds. New Jersey's loc ation on the mid-Atlantic c oast results in an interesting mixture of northern and southern species. Many northern birds seen here are near the southern limit of their normal range in the East, such as Common and King eiders, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Gyrfalcon, Iceland, and Glaucous gulls, Thick-billed Murre, Razorbill, Snowy Owl, Boreal Chickadee, Northern Shrike, Lapland Longspur, and Pine Grosbeak. Similarly, many southern species that are numerous or regular in New Jersey are rare or uncommon farther north along the East Coast; for example, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White Ibis, Black Vulture, Mississippi Kite, American Avocet, Sandwich Tern, Carolina Chickadee, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, and Kentucky warblers, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Boat-tailed Grackle, and Orchard Oriole.
The convergence of north and south is reflected in the varied habitats found in New Jersey, from the salt marshes and hardwood swamps of the Delaware Bayshore to the hemlock glens and dry ridgetops of the Highlands and the Kittatinny Mountains. In between are the vast Pine Barrens of the coastal plain, with its cedar swamps and pine-oak woodlands, as well as the farm fields, lakes, rivers, swamps, and upland deciduous forest of the central and northern parts of the state. At Dividing Creek, Cumberland County, during the breeding season you'll find such typical southern birds as Chuckwill's- widow, Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, and Kentucky warblers, Summer Tanager, and Blue Grosbeak. Only 150 miles north in the Pequannock Watershed, the breeding birds include northern species such as Alder Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blue-headed Vireo, Blackburnian Warbler, and occasionally Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-throated Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco.
Because of New Jersey's large population, its inclusion in two large metropolitan areas (New York City and Philadelphia), and the tourist attractions of its coastal beaches, much of the state has been urbanized, suburbanized, condominiumized, industrialized, or otherwise built upon. Even in the rural areas, the practices of agriculture are not usually beneficial to birdlife. Fortunately for the birder, a significant portion of the state has been preserved in the form of federal public lands; state, county, and local parks; state forests; Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs); private wildlife preserves; and other protected areas. The state parks and forests system includes almost 250,000 acres, while the WMAs administered by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife contain another 160,000 acres. The state has recently embarked on an ambitious program to preserve many thousands of acres over the next ten years. Thus, although much additional wildlife habitat is lost to development every year, many places remain for birders to pursue their hobby.
Birding by Season As a coastal state with a diversity of inland habitats, New Jersey offers something for the birder at any season. Predictably, the coast has the greatest variety of birdlife most of the year, especially in the winter, but there are usually interesting species to be found elsewhere. The following suggestions are not meant to be comprehensive, but only to give ideas for places to visit in the various seasons. The locations mentioned are included in the regional maps, and directions are given in each individual chapter.
Many non-birders think of winter as a time when all the birds have gone south; to the birder in New Jersey, however, winter is a time to look for rarities and uncommon winter visitors. This is the time to visit Barnegat Light in search of Harlequin Duck, eiders, Purple Sandpiper, rare gulls, and possibly a Snowy Owl. The North Shore harbors many grebes, geese, ducks, gulls (including rarer ones like Black-headed, Little, Glaucous, Iceland, and Lesser Black-backed gulls), occasional alcids, and other water-associated species. Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge, too, has numbers of waterfowl plus numerous wintering raptors, including Rough-legged Hawk, Bald Eagle, and the occasional Golden Eagle. Cape May offers the greatest variety of birdlife at this season, because of the many wintering land birds and water birds.
In the north, Sandy Hook is a good spot for Red-necked Grebes, Snow Buntings, and winter rarities. Liberty State Park is favored by Short-eared Owl, Snowy Owl and, occasionally, Common Black-headed Gull. It has attracted both Red-necked and Eared grebes, as well as many ducks and gulls. The nearby Kearny Marsh and Hackensack Meadowlands still attract concentrations of gulls in winter, including rarities, but most of the garbage dumps that used to lure these scavengers are no longer active.
Winter is the time to check Ringwood State Park, Pequannock Watershed, Wawayanda State Park, High Point State Park, Stokes State Forest, Worthington State Forest, and Washington Crossing State Park for winter finches or other northern species. Alpha frequently has Short-eared Owl, Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur. Princ eton and the Stony B rook- Millstone Reserve are worth checking for owls, while nearby Rosedale Park usually has Eastern Bluebird. Trenton Marsh is a great spot for wintering Common Snipe, and the Delaware River downstream at Florence has become the state's prime winter gull-watching site, thanks to the massive dump across the river in Pennsylvania. In the southwestern part of the state, Fish House, Flood Gates, and Mannington Marsh are all excellent for wintering waterfowl, while the Delaware Bayshore of Salem and Cumberland counties (see Dividing Creek and Heislerville) has large numbers of wintering raptors.
With the arrival of spring, many of the wintering species depart and early migrants arrive. Late March brings the first Ospreys, Eastern Phoebes, swallows, and Pine Warblers. March is also a good time to look for Ross's Goose among the many Snow Geese in Salem County, as well as Brewer's or Yellowheaded blackbirds among the flocks of more common blackbirds. April is the month when many birders visit Pedricktown and Salem County in search of American Golden Plover, Ruff, and Upland Sandpiper. March and April are also good for migrant waterfowl at Assunpink WMA, Brigantine, Salem County, Spruce Run State Recreation Area, and many other spots. By the end of April, most of the herons and egrets have returned to the coastal marshes, along with terns and early shorebirds. At Cape May, Sandy Hook, Palmyra, Garret Mountain, and Princeton, the songbird migration has begun in earnest, while at Parvin State Park and Belleplain State Forest, many of the local specialties such as Prothonotary Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush are in full song.
May is the month when you want to be everywhere. The songbird and shorebird migrations reach their peak for a number of species during the first three weeks of the month. Birders flock to Princeton, Trenton Marsh, Bull's Island, and Garret Mountain to see warblers and other passerines, then head for the coast at Brigantine, Stone Harbor, and Cape May to look for shorebirds. By the end of the month, the variety has diminished, but it is the best time to visit the Delaware Bayshore at Reeds Beach, Moores Beach, Thompsons Beach, and East Point to see the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of Sanderlings, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Red Knots feeding on the eggs of horseshoe crabs.