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Trail Guides
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Cape May NWR - Woodcock Trail
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7
 
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End of Woodcock Lane, Cape May Court House, NJ
Phone: (609) 463-0994
www.fws.gov/northeast/capemay
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Return to Route 47 via Kimbles Beach Rd. Turn Right onto Route 47 South.
Travel only 0.5 miles, turn Right onto Woodcock Lane and follow to its end. Map
Open daily from dawn to dusk. Small parking area on site. Information available at headquarters office on Kimbles Beach Rd.
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| Eastern Bluebird | Kevin Karlson |
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| | Part of Cape May NWR, Woodcock Trail is a tranquil one-mile foot
path mowed through fields at the forest edge.
Explore the two easy woodland trails off the
main loop. One leads to a salt marsh habitat
and the other through a forest and freshwater wetland, and each brings a wide diversity of
animals and plants.
Look and listen for Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Gray Catbird and Eastern Bluebird. Also look for owls in the pine trees toward dusk.
Careful observation may reveal one of the first butterflies of spring — the Mourning Cloak. And watch out for skunk cabbage, which will live up to its name if disturbed. Different kinds of mosses can be examined up close on the red trail, and you may catch a glimpse of a southern gray tree frog or marbled salamander.
Get out your insect repellent, but don’t let the insects stop you from visiting to see birds of field, forest, and marsh habitats. During their summer migration, swarms of dragonflies can be seen over the salt marsh. The habitats are in their prime, providing protection and food to
their residents. Beware of ticks and take all
precautions from August until the first hard frost of winter.
As the perennial grasses, flowers and trees complete their cycles, birds are migrating south and will stop here to gather fuel for their long journeys. The salt marsh flaunts its multi-hued greens, browns, and reds of autumn.
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