CR 656/ Shaws Mill Road, Millville, NJ
Phone: (609) 984-0547
www.njfishandwildlife.com
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Follow dirt road back out to CR 610/Jones Island Rd. and turn Right. Follow
for 2 miles out to CR 553 and turn Right. After
2.5 miles, turn Left onto CR 629/Newport Rd. After 0.5 miles, turn Right onto CR 656/Shaws Mill Rd. and after 0.3 miles, the parking area for Shaws Mill Pond will be on your Left. Map
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| Red-shouldered Hawk | Michael Lyncheski |
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| | Millville (Bevans) Wildlife Management Area is a large, almost 19-square mile, tract of land that includes hardwood and mixed forests, open fields, meadows, fresh water marshes and even a small pond. The area adjoins farm lands and both residential and commercial properties. In the northern part of the WMA is Buckshutem Swamp which drains into Buckshutem Creek and eventually into the Maurice River by way of Laurel Lake. Most of the remainder of the WMA, perhaps 80 percent of the total, is crisscrossed with roads, trails and utility right-of-ways that can take visitors to the variety of habitats. At the western edge of the WMA is Shaws Mill Pond, where you entered
the site.
Deer, fox, squirrel, rabbit, skunk, opossum and other small mammals roam throughout the WMA. Red-tailed Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk may be seen in the forested areas and Northern Harrier forage over the swamp lands. Wild Turkey may be seen in the fields. Look for Bald Eagle overhead, as several nest along the Maurice River a few miles to the east.
Passerines arrive from the south. Eastern Wood-Pewee, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, and a host of other songbirds begin their serenades in the forest. The woodpeckers — Hairy, Downy and Red-bellied — establish their territories with consistent tapping and drumming on dead trees. Wood warblers, such as Worm-eating, Black-and-white and Yellow-throated arrive from Central and South America where they have spent the winter. Osprey build, or repair, their nests near the Maurice River. Look for newly emerged
turtles, frogs, salamanders, snakes and other
reptiles sunning along the edges of waterways.
Eastern Kingbirds display their fly catching abilities at Shaws Mill Pond where visitors can find a number of dragonflies, in addition to flies and mosquitoes, which may show up in great swarms. Small mammals are frequent
visitors to the pond. Black and Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle may be seen soaring over the WMA.
Raptor migration occurs throughout the fall and is especially associated with weather fronts that produce northwesterly winds. This is a great location from which to observe this migration.
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