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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Kittatinny Mountain Eastern Slope
Sussex and Warren CountiesCoordinates: N 41.07185
W 74.93976
Skylands: Appalachian MountainsArea: 73,185 Acres Habitat: Primarily deciduous and coniferous forest with forest wetland habitatSite Description: The site consists of extensive deciduous and coniferous forests and swamps along the southeastern facing slopes of Kittatinny Mountain. These habitats intersect the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and include the Trout Brook Wildlife Management Area. This IBA also intersects the Kittatinny Ridge Natural Heritage Priority Site which is recognized by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as one of the state’s most significant natural areas. The Kittatinny name originates from a Native American word meaning "endless mountain;" appropriate given its location in the 2000 mile Appalachian chain. This site is part of the Delaware Valley Water Gap Macrosite IBA.IBA Criteria:
| Criterion | Species |
| Conservation Concern – State-endangered (B) | Bald Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Red-shouldered Hawk |
| Conservation Concern – State-special Concern (B) | Cerulean Warbler, Winter Wren |
| Regional Responsibility Species - BCR 28 Forest (B) | Black-and-white Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Gray Catbird, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler |
| Significant Congregations | |
| Significant Migrant Stopover/Flyover (FM, SM) | Raptors |
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| Wood Thrush | MacKenzie Hall |
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Birds: Every spring and fall, over 10,000 migratory raptors follow the ridgetops of the Kittatinny Mountains as they travel through the Atlantic flyway to their breeding or wintering grounds. The site’s largely contiguous forests also provide breeding habitat for raptors including state-endangered Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Goshawks and Red-shouldered Hawks and state-threatened Barred Owls. This site supports consistently high numbers of breeding state-special concern Cerulean Warblers and Winter Wrens as well. Regional responsibility species breeding in forest habitat include Wood Thrush, Gray Catbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Scarlet Tanager and Eastern Wood-Pewee.Conservation: Development of remaining unprotected lands along the ridgetops and slopes of Kittatinny fragments forest and wetland habitats thereby reducing the suitability of these habitats to forest wildlife. Increased development also results in declining water quality and groundwater reserves and promotes dispersal of invasive species. Recommended strategies to reduce development pressure include assisting landowners to restore habitat, prioritizing lands for acquisition and enforcing and/or improving zoning and land use protection regulation. Additional threats include overabundant deer, nonnative plants, cowbird parasitism, stormwater discharge and succession of early successional habitats to forest. Overabundant deer can severely reduce forest regeneration and alter forest structure by overbrowsing native plants, and the buds and young shoots of woody shrubs and saplings. This facilitates the establishment of many aggressive, nonnative plant species that outcompete native vegetation. Invasive plant species, including Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), dominate the shrub layer and outcompete native vegetation. The hemlock blight, caused by the hemlock woolly adelgid, is extremely damaging to eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis). The pest is difficult to control; however, application of some insecticidal soaps, oils and pesticides, as well as release of a Japanese lady beetle may help to reduce damage. Exotic tree diseases also threaten forest health. Partners to protect the region include NJDEP’s Green Acres Program, The Nature Conservancy, the Ridge and Valley Conservancy as well as local corporations, agencies and landowners.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Looking east from the mountain | John Parke |
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