A Winter Weekend at the Jersey Shore: Forsythe NWR

NOTE: Forsythe NWR is a fee area. A daily pass is $4/car - cash or check only. Interagency passes are honored at this site.

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, located near Atlantic City, hosts an impressive concentration of waterfowl, raptors, and hardy coastal species in winter, all set against the refuge’s wide‑open salt‑marsh vistas. Tundra swans, brant, harriers, dunlin, snow geese, and peregrine falcons as well as a variety of ducks are all common here in January as they overwinter in the refuge's wetlands and impoundments.

Join us as we caravan in our cars along the 8-mile, one-way, unpaved Wildlife Drive loop, making multiple stops along the way. Carpooling will be encouraged for those who are comfortable with it. Minimal walking is involved, although there are trails you may wish to explore on your own after the field trip concludes.

Rest rooms are located at the Visitor Center.

All ages and experience levels are welcome and encouraged to attend, including children and those new to birding. Bring binoculars and field guides; if you have a spotting scope you may want to bring that too. Dress in layers; it is usually windy on the refuge making the temps feel even colder, but much of the time we will be in our cars. Bring water and snacks or lunch as we can expect to be out for 3 or more hours.

Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Photo credit: A flock of Dunlin, taken by John Mercer at Edwin B. Forsythe NWR