Finally Fall: NJ Fall and Winter Visitors

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.

William Wordsworth

Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations.  This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.

When you hear "migration", what do you think? Birds flying south for the winter? Monarch butterflies traveling 3,000 miles to reach the oyamel firs in Mexico? Well, migration isn't always a far-off, foreign concept - it happens right here in New Jersey! Some birds from far up north actually migrate to the Garden State to prep for the colder months. NJ is a place for them to find food and sometimes, even a mate. New Jersey sees many irruptive migrants - these are species that usually don’t migrate far, but will occasionally make larger migrations in groups to search for food in winter.

Not every year is an irruptive year. For example, we saw irruptive migrant species on the move in the winters of 2013-2014, 2017-2018, and now 2020-2021. When it is an irruptive year, we notice the same occasional migrants making their way to NJ during the winter, and many can be seen at Duke Farms.

Download the full PDF here.

This resource was created by Abigail Schmid.