Adventures without Barriers: Birding 101 – Cattus Island

Come exploring with your guide to see the unique birds that call the Pine Barrens home at Cattus Island County Park in Toms River, NJ.

DATE: September 15th, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Birding can be a challenging experience, since finding the birds is often a matter of being in the right place at the right time, especially for those migratory species. Please join us as we follow Nicole Vernachio, the Chief Park Naturalist for Ocean County Parks, on this outdoor adventure. We will look for interesting birds that are residents or just passing through the area. We will take a slow hike, passing through woods, wetlands, and open marshland.

This inclusive and accessible family-friendly outing follows along a section of the Boardwalk Trail and Main Trail at Cattus Island Ocean County Parks. The park is a picturesque location perfect for birding opportunities as the site has a mixture of forest, open meadow, marshland, and coastal zones for birds. This park is a good place to get long, clear looks at birds because of the relative openness of the preserve. It is also a nice preserve to know about, especially because of its quick and easy access to birding for almost anyone.

Accessibility Information: The total length of this route is 1 mile. The trail is an out-and-back route that follows flat, even terrain. There are no slopes encountered on this trip. The trail is a minimum of six feet wide. The general trail surfaces are compacted soils, and boardwalks which will allow for rugged terrain wheelchair access. The runtime of the event is estimated to be 2 hours. There are benches on the property. Additionally, there are ADA-compliant parking spaces and bathroom facilities.

Pinelands Adventures has several all-terrain wheelchairs available for use by request both electric and manual types. If you would like to use one of our wheelchairs for this event email Sean Kane-Holland, Access Nature Disability Advocate at sean@pinelandsalliance.org or call Sean at (609) 859-8860 ext. 117.

Note: Participants who are not requesting to use Pineland Adventures wheelchairs should come prepared with their own mobility assistive devices. Bring walkers, canes, crutches, and personal outdoor assistive gear.  The trails are conducive to allowing electric assistive mobility equipment.

Directions: The meeting place is the main parking area of Cattus Island County Park in Toms River, NJ. The address is Cattus Island Rd, Toms River, NJ 08753. Directions are found here.