When planning your fall family outings this year, think beyond the pumpkins and corn mazes. New Jersey’s position along the Atlantic Flyway means you don’t even have to leave the state to experience amazing annual migrations of birds and butterflies. Here are four great fall migrations you won’t want to miss!
Monarch Butterflies
From September to October (peaking in the last weeks of September) tens of thousands of vibrant orange monarch butterflies migrate through New Jersey on their annual 2,000-mile journey south to Mexico. You may notice monarchs throughout the state, but your best chance to see them is in southern New Jersey, where they stop to refuel on goldenrod and other late-blooming flowers before crossing the Delaware Bay.
The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family Preserve which has four acres of goldenrod blooms (also great for photo opps!) is an ideal site to observe these beautiful butterflies. Extra credit: While you’re there, be sure to snap a family photo with TNC’s giant interactive monarch sculpture and share it on social media to help spread the word about this endangered species.
Raptors
New Jersey is one of the best states in the country to witness an incredible raptor migration from late summer to early fall. Each year you can see these birds of prey—including eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures—in large numbers at they pass through en route to warmer southern wintering grounds, some as far away as South America! Pack binoculars and head to the Delaware Water Gap or TNC’s Maurice River Bluffs Preserve to view bald eagles. For a chance to see American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, and red-tailed hawks, try hiking to the summit of High Mountain Park Preserve, wandering the paths of TNC’s South Cape May Meadows or stopping for an overlook of the Hudson River at Palisades Interstate Park.
Songbirds
Fall migration isn’t just for raptors, but songbirds too! Warblers, swallows, hummingbirds, and more can be seen fluttering about, especially at The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family and South Cape May Meadows preserves. One particularly notable event is the mass gatherings of tree swallows at South Cape May Meadows. Clouds of tree swallows form over fruit-bearing bushes, like bayberry thickets, in a massive feeding frenzy (check it out below!).
To see forest bird species like woodpeckers, nuthatches, and thrushes, explore the trails of TNC’s Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve or Garrett Mountain Reservation.
Waterfowl
While some species are just passing through on their way to their wintering grounds, dozens of waterfowl species overwinter in New Jersey, arriving as early as late September. The Maurice River is a hotspot for long-tailed ducks, northern pin-tails, and hooded mergansers, where they can often be spotting dabbling for invertebrates. The floating dock at TNC’s Maurice River Bluffs Preserves brings you right out onto the river, offering up-close views of New Jersey’s wonderful waterfowl. Flock to the South Cape May Meadows Preserve for a chance to see buffleheads, green-winged teals, and wood ducks, or head to Barnegat Lighthouse State Park which provides one of the few easily accessible sites to view Harlequin ducks on the East Coast.
Make migration fun for the whole family by testing your kiddo’s bird knowledge with TNC’s printable Bird Bingo below!
Read More:
Get to Know Some of NJ’s Most Endangered Species
Where to See Bald Eagles in New Jersey
Saving New Jersey’s Endangered Bobcats
Osprey: From Surviving to Thriving
Birds of NJ: Figure Out What’s In Your Backyard