County Road 675, Hainesville, NJ
Phone: (973) 383-0918
www.njfishandwildlife.org/wmas.htm
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Return to Old Mine Road and turn Right. After 2.9 miles turn Right onto CR 646 East, which is unmarked, although there is a sign farther up the road. After 1.8 miles turn Right onto CR 645 South. After 0.1 miles, follow sign and turn Left onto CR 675 North. After 0.1 miles there is a stop sign at U.S. Route 206. Continue straight across following signs for CR 675 North, as the road bends to the Left. After 1.6 miles turn Right into the dirt driveway entrance of Hainesville/Duck Pond. The entrance is very easy to miss; there is a yellow and black, 30 m.p.h. “curve in the road” sign at the entrance to the drive, and the field across the street ends at this point. Reaching Duck Pond on the Right means the entrance has been missed. Park in the front or proceed back for additional parking; neither area is paved. Map
In the oak-hickory forest east of Duck Pond are about a mile of stone-rows which serve as testimony to the area’s rich agricultural past. It is interesting to stand among these rows and imagine the look and the life of the long forgotten era.
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| Red Squirrel | Kevin Karlson |
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Located between High Point State Park and Stokes State Forest in a broad lowland valley, the Hainesville WMA offers a much different ecological setting than the rough rocky terrain of the surrounding area. Built and managed as a waterfowl nesting, feeding and resting area, it is the perfect location to observe these species, as well as a wide variety of other birds. Even during severe late summer and fall droughts, when other natural wetlands are dry or nearly so, this very shallow impoundment maintains its water level acting as a magnet for waterfowl.
the opportunity to hear the distant howl of coyotes on a clear, cold and calm winter evening just after sunset.
Winter migrants such as Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin and Common Redpoll have been observed in and around the small Norway spruce plantations. Tracks of coyote, bobcat and gray and red foxes may be evident during the snowy months of winter.
About equally distant from the Kittatinny Ridge and the Delaware River, Hainesville is an excellent place to view migrating and summer resident waterfowl such as American Coot, Horned and Pied-bill Grebes and Common Goldeneye. Both Osprey and Bald Eagle have become increasingly common in recent years. On a quiet day a Ruffed Grouse might be heard drumming in the distance.
In most places the forest comes right to the edge of the impoundment, and because of this, it is a great place to observe bats and birds that feed on the wing such as swallows, Cedar Waxwing and Eastern Kingbird. Common ground and thicket nesters are abundant, as are typical edge species, such as sparrows and American Robin. Be on the lookout for black bear, red fox, American mink, American beaver, red squirrel and southern flying squirrel, as they are all residents of the area.
Migrating waterfowl can be abundant. Hooded, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Ruddy and Wood Ducks along with Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail all visit the Wildlife Management Area. Migrating warblers are common during fall and make sure to check out the Kittatinny Ridge for migrating raptors, such as Red-tailed and Broad-winged Hawks, taking advantage of the updrafts.
Adjacent to the east side of U.S. Route 206 between mile-posts 127 and 128 is Duck Pond, a new addition to the management area. The five-acre pond is covered with white water lilies during the summer, and the brushy upland area provides excellent nesting habitat for both ground and low shrub nesters.
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