28 www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com
Photo by Michael S. Miller
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 state-endangered
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 stateendangered
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, forestbreeding
species, songbirds, raptors
and shorebirds, many of which are
endangered species.
Sandy Hook P1–Q3 is a major
stop along the migration pathway for
over 340 species of birds traveling
the Atlantic Flyway and has been
designated as a globally significant
Important Bird Area (IBA) by the
National Audubon Society because
it supports Piping Plovers. 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
BIRD WATCHERS flock to monmouth county
/www.sparkvisitmonmouth.com
/www.njaudubon.org
/www.monmouthaudubon.org
/www.monmouthcountyparks.com
/www.birdlife.org
/cheesequake.html
