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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Baldpate Mountain
Mercer CountyCoordinates: N 40.34824
W 74.89587
Site Map Piedmont Plains: PiedmontArea: 9,946 Acres Habitat: Primarily deciduous forest with agricultural parcelsSite Description: Baldpate Mountain is located on the southwestern portion of the Sourland Mountains and includes the Baldpate Mountain Preserve. Moore's Creek runs along the northern edge of the site and flows into the Delaware River at the site’s western border. Fiddler's Creek runs slightly to the south and east of the site. The site is characterized by relatively steep, rocky and mostly forested slopes and includes orchards, fallow fields and a small man-made pond associated with an old farmstead. In March of 2007, local and state leaders renamed the preserve the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain, to honor the relentless efforts of Edmund (Ted) Stiles to preserve 1100 acres of Baldpate Mountain.
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| Hairy Woodpecker | Kevin Watson |
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Birds: The deciduous forests of Baldpate Mountain provide breeding habitat for the state-endangered Red-shouldered Hawk as well as the state-special concern Cooper’s Hawk. Additional forest breeders include: Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Chimney Swifts, Northern Flickers, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Kentucky Warblers, Wood Thrushes and Gray Catbirds. Scrub-shrub species include the Wild Turkeys, Pine Warblers, Prairie Warblers and Eastern Towhees. Conservation priority species occurring at Baldpate Mountain include Hairy Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees and Brown Creepers. This site supports an exceptional diversity of breeding landbirds and provides significant stopover habitat for migratory birds.Conservation: Major threats to the habitats of Baldpate Mountain include establishment of non-native invasive plants including garlic-mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and multiflora-rose (Rosa multiflora), recreational development and overuse, development pressure and deer overbrowse. Combined with mechanical removal of invasive plants, a deer management program, which has been in place for at least five years, has resulted in a noticeable improvement in the shrub and herbaceous layers. Presently, the site is lightly used by hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers but it is expected that usage will greatly increase once improvements to access roads, trails and parking facilities occur. Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, the primary advocacy group for habitat protection at Baldpate Mountain, are responsible for negotiating and funding many acquisitions in the area. In cooperation with Mercer County, this nonprofit group contributed one million dollars to the purchase of 1100 acres in 1998.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Deciduous Forest Type | Cristina Frank |
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