601 Creek Road, Moorestown, NJ
Phone: (609) 265-5858
www.co.burlington.nj.us/Pages/pages.aspx?cid=586
Burlington County Park System
Exit Amico Island Park and proceed straight ahead onto River Drive which will become American Legion Drive after a right-hand curve. At the “T” intersection, turn Left on River Road/St. Mihiel Drive. Turn Right at the first light onto Fairview Street and an immediate Left on Franklin Street. Bear Right at end as it becomes Bridgeboro Road. Follow Bridgeboro Road, passing Route 130 exit, to the traffic light for Creek Road. Turn Left on Creek Road. After 1.8 miles, turn Left into the entrance for Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area. DIRECTIONS FROM NEAREST HIGHWAY: Take Exit 43 off I-295 and follow signs toward Delran to merge onto Creek Road. After 1.7 miles look for a large blue sign, and turn Right into the park entrance. Map
New Jersey Transit Bus Lines No. 413 Camden/Mt. Holly/Burlington stops at Marne Highway and Ark Road. Walk 2 blocks on Creek Road. Bear Right on Masonville Road. Walk 6 blocks on Masonville Road. Walking distance is less than 1 mile.
A “human sundial” not far from the parking area allows a visitor to use their shadows to estimate the time of day. A butterfly and hummingbird garden is located at the stone pavilion and small pond.
| | This modern, 34-acre park is easily accessed and has nice examples of different habitats and ecological communities. Visitors can experience fields, shrub/scrub, forest, marsh and river without having to trek far or manage rough terrain. The park has wide, level trails, observation platforms and blinds, good signage, rest rooms and safe parking. The observation platforms overlooking Rancocas Creek can provide interesting sightings in any season, from waterfowl in winter to jumping fish, basking turtles, and flycatchers hawking insects in warmer months. This park was designed specifically for birding and wildlife watching.
The beaver lodge is easily viewed at the end of the boardwalk trail through the bird blind See the far left corner of the trail map.
Check the creek for Common and Hooded Mergansers, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gulls, and the occasional Bald Eagle. Mixed flocks of Juncos, White-throated, Song, and occasionally White-crowned Sparrows scratch for seeds in the fields. Eastern Bluebird, Goldfinch, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Towhee, Hairy Woodpecker, and occasionally Winter Wren can be found this time of year. If there is snow on the ground, look for rabbit, deer, and fox tracks.
Marsh marigold blooms along the marsh edges. Red-winged Blackbirds set up territories. Spring bird migration blankets the area, with several species of warblers, flycatchers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Watch for river otter, beaver, and muskrat in the creek.
Look for resident wetland bird species including Yellow Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Swamp Sparrow and Marsh Wren. Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons can be seen spear-fishing on the banks of the creek. Swamp rose-mallow, spatterdock, and other marsh plants are in bloom. Look for monarch butterflies around the milkweed patches. Scan the fields for other butterfly and dragonfly species.
Autumn color peaks in late October. Monarch butterfly numbers increase as the late emergers move South. Songbird migration peaks in September, but waterfowl and raptors will move through into December. Look for American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Black Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, and Sharp-shinned hawk, among others.
There are many persimmon trees along the wood edge on the east side of the park. Sometime in November, find a persimmon that is completely soft-ripe, almost to the point of dissolution, and sample this native fruit. The Latin name, Diospyros, means “fruit of God. When fully ripe, they have a unique bittersweet flavor. However, unripe fruits will, as Captain John Smith said, “twist your mouth awry,” with their bitterness.
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