Not A Lot Of Wildlife But A Beautiful Saturday Hiking And Exploring Sandy Hook- Gateway National Recreation Area

I was up  early Saturday morning at my hotel near the Sandy Hook  Gateway National Recreation Ares in northern New Jersey.  I was eager to watch the  sunrise and continue my exploration of this  historic and scenic barrier peninsula and national park. It was mostly cloudy, windy and a lot cooler on my drive to Plum Island  in Sandy Hook, located only about one mile from my hotel. 

I had read Plum Island was good place to see migratory ducks, wading birds and song birds early in the morning. I parked at parking lot B one of the three  large parking lots that access the beautiful beaches on Sandy Hook. There is a $20 fee to park here in the Summer but it is free after  Labor Day. There a few cars on the parking lot and I saw a lot of folks, like me waiting for the sun rise.

On my walk  to the beach I also saw a few whitetail deer also waiting for the sun.

At first I wasn’t sure I would see the sun rise because of the clouds,

but there was a break in the clouds near the horizon.

I watched the sun quickly rise over the ocean on the distant horizon.  However soon after  rising it was  soon obscured by the the clouds.

I left the beach and  crossed the road to take the  the  trail onto Plum Island. It was a cool 55 degrees and   a strong northwesterly wind coming off the bay made if feel a lot colder. 

I soon learned that Plum Island isn’t an actual island. It is just a  lot of dunes  surrounded by  the bay. The trail to the island split and I followed the path that took me south through the dunes. Beach grass, reeds and small winged sumac and bayberry trees grew in the sand along the trail.

I walked over a large dune and came to an inlet in the bay. There was a great blue heron wading long the shore but it quickly flew off as I approached.

There were no other birds in the bay but a few gulls flew overhead, I am not sure but I think this is a ring billed gull.

I walked along the beach as the strong winds tossed the waters in the bay creating some strong waves.

There weren’t  many seashells along the beach but I did did this horseshoe crab shell washed up on the beach.

I walked along the beach and saw a few shore birds wading in the waves, including I believe a dunlin,

an American herring gull,

and a large flock of Brant geese, that flew off as I approached.

The beach ended  on an inlet of water so I hiked back up into the dunes.

After the sun broke through the clouds and warmed up the cool morning air. I saw a lot of birds in the reeds and shrubs in the dunes but they were not the migratory warblers or vireos, as I had hoped to find.

They were a lot of the more common year long resident birds, mostly house finches, this is the  colorful male

and this the female.

Americn goldfinches,

 white- throated sparrows,

a few northern mocking birds and

Carolina wrens.

There was one species of warbler that I again saw dozens of, the yellow-rumped warbler. They were the most common bird on the island. They are one of the last warblers to head south  in the Fall. 

I walked  through the dunes  and  back to the bay. Here I saw a lot more Brant geese.

I had walked about two miles around Plum island and decided to try my luck in finding birds and wildlife at another location so I drove to parking lot near the Spermaciti Cove.

This Cove  is repoerted to be a great place to see migrating waterfowl and also has seals here in the Winter months.

I followed a boardwalk through a wetland of reeds with holly and cedar trees.

I was again disappointed. the only birds I saw in the wetlands were  yellow-rumped warblers, house finches and  sore-throated  sparrows. There were no migrating songs birds here and  no waterfowl of any kind in the cove. 

I left the Cove and followed the Sandy Hook multi path that took me through a woodland behind Parking lot E.

It was a nice trail above the beach and took me through a very dense woodlands of mostly holly  and red cedar trees.

Again there was little bird activity in the woodlands along the trail.

My AllTrail map showed a lake on the trail. I did come to an old duck blind but it t was overgrown with reeds. I followed the trail through the reeds and beach grass and it ended on the beach.

I walked back to the road again followed a biking and hiking paved trail along the road. 

I walked passed the Nike missile base I saw the pervious afternoon,

and followed it to the Fishing Beach Road, another great birding area according to the birding sites but once again I saw very little bird activity on Saturday morning.  A lot of cars were marked on the rod near the beach, and the few folks I saw were heading to the beach with their fishing gear.

The South Beach Dune Trail begins here and I followed it into a  another thick woodland of mostly holly and cedar trees. with some sumac and maples trees. It was my first time walking in a holly forest and I enjoyed seeing the bright green leaves and red berries on the trees.

It was  pleasant walk on the trail through the woodlands and  dunes. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of bird activity  on my hike, Well there were a lot of the same birds I saw earlier including a loft of white throated sparrow and

song sparrows.

I also saw some golden crowned kinglets.

I did see a red -breasted nuthatch. They are less common then their cousins the white breasted nuthatches I see on my hikes in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I saw my first one all Summer just a few weeks ago.

I watched as it fluttered in a red cedar tree. 

I had walked out about a 1/2 mile when a side trail took me to a deserted  beach,

where I again saw both the isolation of the beach,

and the skyline of Manhattan in the distance. It was a very interesting contrast.

I walked back to the main trail and followed it for another 1/2 mile, The woodlands were thicker here and I saw a hawk perched in a tree but itflew off before I could get a photos and identify what kind it was.

I began my hike back to my Jeep,not seeing many birds as it was now nearing mid-day. I did see a few whitetail deer including this buck.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the birds and wildlife I saw on my 7 miles hike.   Sandy Hook New Jersey wildlife October 27 2024.

It was a nice hike through the forest  on the any barrier peninsula and I hope to return for the Spring migration.  I finished my   5 mile hike. I had hiked 2 1/2 miles on Plum Island so I was hungry and, as usual on my travels, I was off to find a notice local place to eat. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from  my 7 miles hike.   Sandy Hook New Jersey  October 27 2024.

And I soon found one, the Girls Cafe in nearby Highland. I had a great breakfast in this small little restaurant and enjoyed watching and listening to the local regulars whim stopped in for their lunch and breakfast.

It was almost 1 p.m. when I returned to my room. I spent the afternoon editing photos but I  heading back to Sandy Hook around 5 p.m.  to see if I could photograph some  wildlife and then watch the sunset. It was windy and cold when I arrived at the Plum Beach parking lot again.

I didn’t see any wildlife but I saw a dozen of kited flying in the strong  wind coming off the bay.

I walked another mile around the island. It was cold, and I was glad to see the sun set over the hills to the west.

I was also hungry having walked almost 9 miles. I had decided to eat at another seafood  famous 100 year old seafood restaurant , Bahrs Landing  just across the bridge in Highland. It was opened in 1917.  I had a wonderful meal starting with a bowl of Manahatten Clam  Chowder,

I then had a delicious  meal of crab stuffed flounder, mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

And since I hiked to much I had apple strudle and ice cream for dessert. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the sunset.    Sandy Hook New Jersey  sunset October 27 2024.

“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more”   Lord Byron 

fskokoski@gmail.com

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