Old York Road, Burlington, NJ
Phone: (609) 387-2775
www.twp.burlington.nj.us/
Township of Burlington
From Union Avenue, turn Left on Burlington Avenue. After 1.6 miles, Burlington Ave. become Warren Street. After 1.9 miles, Warren Street becomes Beverly Road. DIRECTIONS FROM NEAREST HIGHWAY: From I-295, take exit 47B to merge onto Route 541/High Street. Keep Right to merge onto Burlington Bypass. After 1.1 miles, turn Right at the first light onto Fountain Avenue. After 0.5 miles, proceed straight through the light onto Old York Road. After 0.3 miles, turn Left into the lots behind Burlington Municipal Complex. This is the first section of the park. The second and third sections are 0.4 and 0.6 miles further down Old York Road. Map
The gazebo at the park behind the municipal building is a nice place for a picnic.
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| Bullfrog | Marvin Hyett |
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| | Assiscunk Creek Park is a series of three preserves along Assiscunk Creek, not far from its confluence with the Delaware River. Connected by walking and bike trails, the parks provide a welcoming balance of active and passive recreation, with sport fields, playgrounds, benches, gazebos and overlooks along the creek. Each section has something different to offer, from impressive old-growth trees to showy ornamentals and hidden fish ponds, with a nice mix of resident and transient wildlife.
Bring a fishing pole on a summer morning and spend a couple hours at the small fish pond in the Eastern-most section of the park. While waiting for nibbles from the local sunfish, you will be rewarded with songs of local nesting birds and sights of beautiful dragonflies and damselflies on the reeds.
The mixed deciduous and evergreen woods host Carolina Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Check the creek for Belted Kingfisher, Mallard, Black Duck, Canada Goose, Ring-Billed and Herring Gull. The corn field across the street from the Municipal building is a good place to scan for American Kestrel, as well as flocks of Fish Crows, Canada Geese and various blackbirds. Look for whitewash under Rhododendrons and evergreens - signs of owls.
Migrating songbirds fill the woods. Listen for Wood Thrush, Eastern Towhee, Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat, as well as Black-throated Blue, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-and-White, Pine and Yellow Warbler. Chipminks, cottontail rabbits, gray squirrels, raccoons and skunks become active.Ornamental cherry trees, birches and dogwoods bloom.
Look for Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets and the occasional Green Heron along the banks of the creek, and turtles basking on the banks. Butterflies nectar on the ornamental plantings. Look near lights in the parking lots at dusk for bats. The walk along the creek provides a cool, shady and sweet-scented retreat from the sun on hot days.
The leaves turn a full palette of colors, among the river birch, sweet gum, tulip poplar, sycamore, beech and various oak trees. Look for Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon and other migrating raptors using the radio tower as a resting and hunting perch. Scan the woods near the fishing pond for Red-shouldered Hawk. Large flocks of Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, European Starling and Common Grackle gather in the playing fields.
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