If you’re not paying attention, you may miss the entrance to the Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area Park along the Rancocas Creek in Moorestown.
The facility – open to the public from 7 a.m. to dusk – recently drew visitors on a beautiful summer evening, some walking the 1.3 miles of marked trails and some with furry friends out for a stroll.
Once on site at the 34-acre park, visitors are offered a myriad of opportunities for bird watching and wildlife viewing. Upland and lowland forests; fields; tidal wetlands; and the open water of the Rancocas Creek all overlap in a relatively small area to create a haven for all types of birds and other wildlife, according to Burlington County’s website.
Taylor Design Group Inc., of Mount Laurel, was the park’s design-landscape architect and was joined in the project by Olivieri, Shousky & Kiss, P.A. in Collingswood and Moore Consulting Engineers in Shamong.
Aubrey A. Fenton was leading the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders – now called commissioners – at the time. With him on the dais were Joseph B. Donnelly, William S. Haines, Jr., Stacey F. Jordan and James K. Wujcik.
“The Boundary Creek area will provide a rustic haven for bird watchers and all residents along the Rancocas, while restoring natural habitat to protect wildlife and the environment,” Haines said at the time.
Wildlife enthusiasts rejoiced when the park opened in the fall of 2007.
As you follow the footpaths and boardwalks through its diverse habitats, be sure to have binoculars and a camera to photograph the many birds, butterflies and other animals there, according to a pamphlet on the park.
The bird blinds and observation platforms allow visitors to see wildlife without disturbance. In addition to more than 30 resident species of birds, one can view an incredible diversity of avian life in the changing seasons.
Various species of waterfowl, wading birds, and ospreys are visible from the boardwalks along the creek. Migratory songbirds – including warblers, vireos, flycatchers and tanagers – can be seen along the forest and field edge in the spring.
From the bald eagle and Eastern screech owl, to the Swainson’s thrush and yellow warbler, the Boundary Creek Natural Resource area provides these species with their natural habitats.
With a wing span of 6 to 7 feet, eagles are larger than most birds, but can be confused with vultures from a distance, according to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
Adult bald eagles are distinguished by their full white heads and tails, but sub-adult and juvenile birds are brown overall, with some white mottling. The female is slightly larger than the male.
While eagles eat mostly fish during the warmer months, they feed on waterfowl, muskrat and carrion during winter and early spring.
New Jersey bald eagles – listed on the state’s Endangered Species List up until January – are year-round residents that usually remain in their nest areas.
Eastern Screech Owls live in woodlands and farm groves, but they can be found in any area with some open ground and large trees. They are raptors – birds of prey – that are active at dusk and nighttime and eat primarily insects and small rodents, including, but not limited to, beetles, moths, crickets, mice and shrews, according to Raritan Headwaters.
Swainson’s Thrushes are often very common in woodlots and parks, lurking in the thickets and slipping into fruiting trees to pluck berries. They mostly migrate, and their distinctive call notes can be heard from overhead on clear nights during spring and fall, according to the National Audubon Society.
American yellow warblers are one of North America’s most widely known warblers. Males of the species can be seen singing at the tops of small trees, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
They are about 5 inches long and weigh less than half an ounce. Along with the long list of birds, there are a variety of butterflies/moths and herps, dragonflies/damselflies at the park. Look for birds of prey circling overhead as you walk through the fields that were once part of a peach orchard.
Boundary Creek was specifically designed for quiet nature study and associated passive recreation.
Along the trails are benches as well as informative kiosks, one of which describes the numerous trees found in the park. There are mixed hardwood, hardwood swamp and deciduous forests that are home to a variety of tree species.
There are several specimens to find as you walk throughout the park. Look for these deciduous trees, which lose their leaves every fall. Also don’t miss the Human Sundial kiosk. For thousands of years, humans have been devising methods and devices to use the sun and its shadow patterns to tell time.
The coordinates at Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area were translated into a computer aided design program so the longitude and latitude could be accurately surveyed and laid out in the park, allowing park-goers to figure out the time on a sunny day using the sundial.
