|
Important Bird and Birding Areas
|
Fulling Mill Road
Cape May CountyCoordinates: N 39.0168
W 74.9253
Delaware Bay: New England / Mid-Atlantic CoastArea: 3,165 Acres Habitat: Mixed upland forest, forested wetland and tidal salt marshSite Description: This site consists of the mixed upland forest and forested wetlands south of Fulling Mill Road in Lower Township. A majority of the IBA is owned by the Cape May County Airport. The Fishing Creek Marsh IBA, composed of forested wetlands and tidal salt marsh, is its neighbor to the north. Although Fulling Mill Road divides this area, it contains some of the last remaining contiguous forested and forested wetland habitats in the lower portion of Cape May Peninsula. This IBA is contained within a Natural Heritage Priority Site, the Cape May Corridor Macrosite. Designated by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Heritage Priority Sites are considered the state’s most significant natural areas.
 |
| Kentucky Warbler | Jim Gilbert |
| |
Birds: State-threatened Barred Owls breed throughout the forested habitats of The Fulling Mill Road IBA. This site also supports a forested wetland community of birds that includes Kentucky Warblers, Wood Ducks, Acadian Flycatchers and Louisiana Waterthrushes. These habitats provide critical resting and foraging habitat for an incredible number and diversity of migratory raptors and passerines that move through Cape May Peninsula during spring and fall migration. 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.Conservation: The privately-owned areas within and adjacent to this site are threatened by potential airport expansion and increased development. In particular, unprotected forested upland habitat, used heavily by migrating birds, is frequently destroyed and fragmented by residential development for the region’s growing population. Additionally, the hydrology of the site’s forested wetland habitats has been altered through draining and pumping of groundwater. These activities likely degrade water quality and the structure of the rare Cape May lowland swamps and vernal pools. Unregulated off-road vehicle use and illegal dumping are also destructive to the rare plant communities and habitats. Protection and restoration efforts should include the promotion of state and federal habitat incentive programs, land acquisition and increased law enforcement.Additional Information: Site Report
|
|