BIRD
WATCHERS
flock
34 www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com
HELPFUL WEBSITES
www.njaudubon.org
www.monmouthaudubon.org
www.monmouthcountyparks.com
www.birdlife.org
www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/cheesequake.html
Upper Freehold Grasslands
B–C12, where several stateendangered
species can be
observed
Assunpink Wildlife Management
Area D10, a breeding ground
for many species and where
Cooper’s Hawks nest
Big Brook Park Region
Grasslands K6, Raritan Bay and
Southern Shore, which is part of
the Sandy Hook Bay Complex
Navesink and Shrewsbury
Rivers O5–Q4; P6–Q5, where the
state-endangered Bald Eagle
breeds and thousands of winter
waterfowl are to be found
Shark River O11–P10, also an
important winter habitat for many
waterfowl
North Shore Coastal Ponds
Complex Q1–P13, where stateendangered
Piping Plovers and
Least Terns forage and breed,
among many other species
Turkey Swamp Wildlife
Management Area H11, an
important stopover for songbirds
during their spring and fall
migration
Manasquan River Watershed
N13, which provides temporary
habitat for hundreds of species of
migrating landbirds and wintering
waterfowl
With its thousands of acres of
riparian areas, bayshore forests,
dunes, marsh and beach, tidal
mudflats, scrub, shrub, deciduous
forests and agricultural lands,
Monmouth County has several
officially designated IBAs.
County and state parks offer
many viewing and educational
opportunities.
Cheesequake State Park I2 serves as
the breeding ground for two pairs of
nesting osprey, a threatened species
in New Jersey. Its location along the
Atlantic coastline makes Monmouth
County a bountiful area for viewing
migrating fowl, grasslands birds,
forest-breeding species, songbirds,
raptors and shorebirds, many of which
are endangered species. Sandy Hook
P1–Q3, a barrier beach peninsula
that juts out from Monmouth County’s
northeastern tip, is a major stop along
the migration pathway for over 340
species of birds traveling the Atlantic
Flyway.
Sandy Hook is part of the Gateway
National Recreation Area and has been
designated as a globally significant
Important Bird Area (IBA) by the
National Audubon Society. Due to its
history as a military installation, Sandy
Hook is largely undeveloped and offers
a variety of habitats: beach and dunes,
mudflats, holly forest, deciduous woods,
freshwater ponds, salt marshes, coastal
scrub/shrub and successional fields.
AUDUBON IBA: Important Bird Areas in Monmouth County
to monmouth
county
Photo by Tonya Montgomery
/www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com
/www.njaudubon.org
/www.monmouthaudubon.org
/www.monmouthcountyparks.com
/www.birdlife.org
/cheesequake.html
