Landscapes We Love: Wildcat Ridge Hawkwatch

When we say we preserve the landscapes you love, this is what we mean. These landscapes are critical habitats for New Jersey birds, which is why we’ve been participating in New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding for 29 years.

This panoramic video by our friend Dave Blinder provides a glimpse of vast Highlands forest at Wildcat Ridge Hawkwatch, which is recognized by the Hawk Migration Association of North America. In 1999, The Land Conservancy of New Jersey convinced American Tower Corporation to donate ten acres to become part of Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area, and now it’s staffed by NJDEP Fish and Wildlife volunteers who perform hawk counts every spring and fall.

No other area in north Jersey has the large, unfragmented forests necessary to preserve populations of endangered hawks, owls, and increasingly rare songbirds. These forests are also highly important to the millions of people living in urban centers whose drinking water comes from the lakes and streams of the Highlands, purified by its forests and open space. You can experience this for yourself by hiking the trails that run through Wildcat Ridge, including a segment of the Highlands Trail.

You can show your support for this work by donating to our team of expert birders, the Highlands Hawks, as they go out this Saturday, May 10 to identify as many species of birds as possible in 24 hours. Every dollar helps us continue protecting natural resources and special places in New Jersey where great horned owls and bluebirds thrive.