Wildlife at the Jersey Shore |
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Dominick Spolitino
Wildlife Photographer
Dominick Spolitino’s photographic images are published worldwide by Getty Images and you can find his fine art prints in various galleries in the PA/NJ area including “The Great Frame Up” in Mount Laurel, NJ and at the “Atlantic City Art Center” in Atlantic City, NJ during upcoming exhibitions in the summer and fall of ‘08. Fine art prints can also be purchased at his website: http://www.imagesbydom.com
Much of his work is done in the Pocono/Catskill region on the NY/PA border in the Upper Delaware river system. This area is also known as the Allegheny Plateau and offers many opportunities to photograph birds and wildlife in their natural habitat. He also does a lot of work in the tidal marshland of the New Jersey coast, especially during the bird migration seasons.
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The Jersey shore is mostly known for it’s casinos and busy beach communities but there is more here than meets the eye if you’re looking for the chance to enjoy nature at it’s best. If you look beyond the boardwalks and casinos you can find a wealth of opportunities to get away from the crowds. Within a 15 minute drive of Atlantic City there is easy access to prime habitat for viewing and photographing wildlife. We’ll take a look at one of my favorites: The Brigantine division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge located in Oceanville NJ. In 2002 the refuge was the recipient of the New Jersey Governer’s Eco-Tourism award. It’s part of the Jaques Coustea National Estuarine Research Reserve as well as the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail.
The refuge is located in the Atlantic Flyway, an important bird migration route that follows the entire Atlantic Coast of North America. It’s part of the huge network of wildlife refuges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Brigantine division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is renowned among birders because of the amazing diversity of birds that can be found here. 290 species have been observed. Depending on the time of year, you can find Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Harriers, and Short-Eared owls. It’s an important wintering area for Atlantic Brandt and American Black Ducks and huge flocks of migrating Snow Geese. Waterfowl of many other types can be found here year round. Wading birds such as Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons and American Bitterns can be found in the warmer months and many songbirds such as Warblers, Bluebirds and Purple Martins nest here in the spring. The refuge is an important nesting site for shorebirds including the rare Piping Plover.
There is also a healthy population of deer as well as foxes, raccoons, and beaver in nearby Lily Lake. In June watch for turtles crossing the dikes in their search for suitable nesting sites.
The thing that makes the Brigantine division special is that you have access to a great deal of the refuge and it’s wildlife without ever leaving your car. The “Wildlife Drive” is an 8 mile loop that goes through the tidal salt meadow and marshland along the dikes that are used to add over 1400 acres of fresh-water and brackish marsh habitat to the native salt marsh . It sits slightly above the surrounding wetlands so you can get a good view in all directions. The birds are acclimated to the cars driving by, and for the most part they will ignore you if you stay in the car, even at very close range. It can be a fantastic opportunity to see birds that you normally wouldn’t come in contact with in the northeast. There are also some designated trails for those who’d like to walk, including the “Songbird Trail”: a 2.2 mile trail through the upland part of the refuge that’ll give you a chance to see many of the songbirds that migrate here in the spring.
There is an entrance fee of $4.00 per vehicle that you can pay as you enter the refuge.
So go ahead, get away from the crowds and traffic and get back to nature for a few hours ! You’ll be glad you did.
