New Jersey: A Bird-Watcher’s Nirvana

A rare Eurasian wigeon—one of these unique birds was spotted at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

New Jersey is a bird-watching gem of a state. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Topographically, New Jersey has it all—salt marshes and freshwater wetlands, coastal dunes, dense woods and open grasslands—and, critically, prime position on the Atlantic Flyway.

Imagine a north–south superhighway for birds, with stopover locales where avian travelers can find food and safe places to rest. That’s the Atlantic Flyway, along which thousands of neotropical migrating birds travel through New Jersey in both fall and spring.

The flyway brings plenty of common and beautiful species to the Garden State, from shorebirds to raptors, warblers and waterfowl. Experienced (or lucky) twitchers with patience and a keen eye also have a good chance of spotting a rare or unusual bird, like the sandhill crane or even a red-flanked bluetail, which was spotted in a backyard in Whiting within the past year.

For such a small state, the proliferation of rewarding bird-watching sites in New Jersey is astounding—and you can visit plenty of them on a north-to-south road trip that takes you from one extreme—the spectacular inland, riverside landscapes of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area—to another—the coastal avian epicenter of America: Cape May.

A Bald Eagle catches its prey at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is found on the Delaware River where New Jersey meets Pennsylvania. The NRA is a rugged landscape of forests and ravines, which you can explore along Old Mine Road. Upland species are the main event, with migratory songbirds and nesting land birds like warblers, flycatchers, vireos, waterthrush and tanagers flitting through the woodlands. In fall, spot raptors like red-shouldered hawks, osprey and bald eagles—maybe even a rare golden eagle—from the Kittatinny Ridge in the Appalachian Mountain Range, which is an important migratory corridor with beautiful vistas.

A one-hour drive east from Delaware Water Gap is Garret Mountain Reservation—a high-ground habitat that is known for astonishing numbers of migrant species—particularly given the region’s highly developed area—in late spring. The 568-acre park has easy road and trail routes for spotting birds, and is also known for “20-warbler days.” In spring, excitement mounts with the prospect of spotting a rare Bicknell’s Thrush or Swainson’s Warbler.

From upland New Jersey to the coast, the next destination on your New Jersey birding bonanza road trip is Sandy Hook. A little spit of land extending from the Jersey Shore into Lower New York Bay, this year-round bird-watching spot is all about coastal habitats. The beaches, dunes and forests are fertile grounds for a range of birds, but summer brings breeding piping plovers, which are federally endangered, to the beaches. Winter species include brants, scoters and diving ducks, and spring is a good time to spot migrant raptors like osprey and a variety of hawks. The question should probably be: what can’t you see here?

An hour south of Island Beach along the coast is Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Only 10 miles north of Atlantic City, the refuge offers almost as much color and excitement as the neon-bedecked seaside city. It’s the wetlands environment that has birds flocking here; geese, ducks and swans enjoy salt marshes, tidal flats and freshwater pools, often sharing valuable watery real estate with herons, egrets and ibises—and even a roseate spoonbill, which is rare in these parts, but has been spotted more frequently in recent years. Raptor enthusiasts will be beside themselves with sightings of ospreys, bald eagles and peregrine falcons. In January 2025, a rare dabbling duck, the Eurasian wigeon, was spotted on the eight-mile Wildlife Drive at Edwin B. Forsythe, exciting twitchers who got the opportunity to see it.

The Bird Sanctuary at Cape May Point State Park.

The last stop on our New Jersey birding jaunt is a big one: Cape May, often called the birding capital of the United States. If you’re serious about bird-watching, Cape May is non-negotiable. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Delaware Bay to the west, Cape May is surrounded by salt marshes, woodlands, and beach. Flycatchers, waterfowl, and a mind-boggling number of hawks can be spotted in this peninsular gem. It’s possible to spot many species of birds from land, including spectacular dawn processions of colorful songbirds, but insiders have a hot tip: take the Cape May–Lewes Ferry across Delaware Bay. On this trip, you’ll see falcon-like parasitic jaegers chasing other birds to steal their food, as well as other pelagic birds (those that prefer the open ocean), like gannets, which are rarely spotted from land. Ramp it up with a cruise into the offshore waters of the Atlantic, where other pelagic species like shearwaters, kittiwakes and petrels can be observed in flocks. The list of species that descend on Cape May throughout the year is miles long, and peppered with beautiful, unusual and rare birds.

Many of New Jersey’s great birding opportunities are easily accessible by car (and the state has oodles of wonderful RV parks located close to birding sites). But if you feel like a stroll, the New Jersey Birding and Wildlife Trails, developed by the New Jersey Audubon Society, give twitchers access to some of the best birding sites in the state. However you travel, there are no bad decisions when it comes to choosing a place in New Jersey to give your binoculars a workout.

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