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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Nantuxent Cove Wetlands Complex
Cumberland CountyCoordinates: N 39.3117
W 75.23219
Site Map Delaware Bay: New England / Mid-Atlantic CoastArea: 15,911 Acres Habitat: Primarily tidal wetlandSite Description: The Nantuxent Cove Wetlands Complex is composed of extensive tidal salt marsh, cultivated and fallow fields, mixed woods and open water. The site includes the Nantuxent and New Sweden Wildlife Management Areas. The area remains relatively pristine due to limited access. The wetlands within this site are part of the Delaware Bay Wetlands, an internationally recognized wetland of importance designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, a treaty signed in 1971 for the purpose of wetlands conservation. These wetlands are also recognized as a Hemispheric Reserve as part of an intercontinental network of protected sites known formally as the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.
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| Seaside Sparrow | David Lapuma |
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Birds: This wetland complex supports several pairs of breeding Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers and Ospreys. Over 10,000 shorebirds forage within the tidal mud flats and marshes during spring and fall migration. Short-eared Owls and thousands of waterfowl species, including Snow Geese and American Black Ducks, spend the winter months among the habitats of the Nantuxent Cove Wetlands Complex. A Doppler Radar migration study, “Oases Along the Flyway,” conducted by the Research Department of New Jersey Audubon Society has confirmed this site as critical stopover habitat for migrating songbirds during spring and fall migration. Though not reported since the early 1990s, the area has historically supported breeding Black Rails.Conservation: This site remains in a natural, almost pristine state with very few management impacts. The practice of salt marsh ditching to control mosquito populations likely impacts the hydrology in limited portions of the complex. Additionally, the common reed (Phragmites australis), an aggressive invasive plant species, has replaced much of the beneficial marsh vegetation along creek channels. Oil spills occasionally affect this region as it contains the nation’s third largest petrochemical port. In an effort to protect wetlands from oil spills, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Emergency Response developed the Nantuxent Cove Boom Anchor Program in cooperation with several partners including the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership. Through the Boom Anchor Program, permanent boom anchor pilings were installed at strategic locations within the Nantuxent Cove. Anchor pilings are necessary for the placement of oil spill containment booms deployed to help contain oil spills by absorbing oil and acting as a barrier to movement. The anchor pilings shorten the response time to place the protective booms thus reducing potential damage to the wetlands. The pilings are enhanced with osprey nest platforms.Additional Information: Site Report
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