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Trail Guides
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Spring Valley Preserve - Ferlas Pond
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5
 
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Spring Valley Road, Hardwick, NJ
Phone: (908) 362-7989
www.rvclandtrust.org
www.hardwick-nj.us
Ridge and Valley Conservancy
Turn Left out of the main parking area on CR 521 and after 0.5 miles turn Right onto CR 659/Spring Valley Road. After 1.1 miles turn Left into the Hardwick Municipal Building parking area. The trail begins at the back of the parking area behind the building. Map
Open daily from dawn to dusk. Parking is at the Hardwick Municipal Building next door to the preserve. A sign introducing the trail can be found to the Left of the municipal building.
Enjoy this scenic area while walking along the main road, which parallels Ferla’s pond. Waterfowl and wading birds, as well as woodpeckers, are all possibilities. The pine forest at the municipal building supports a healthy population of red squirrels and varieties of birds that rely on this conifer habitat.
Two bird observation blinds, built by a local Boy Scout, are along the back trail. These blinds are great for observing ducks, grebes, herons and an occasional egret in spring through fall.
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| Prothonotary Warbler | Mike Anderson |
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| | The centerpiece of this unique 26-acre preserve is the vernal pond. Typically, it fills with water in the spring and then becomes increasingly drier as the summer months unfold. This makes it prime habitat for breeding amphibians and reptiles; it also supports a high diversity of flora and fauna.
Enjoy the richness of wildlife diversity that this site offers; ducks, grebes, herons and an occasional egret in spring through fall are all viewable from the trails and bird observation blinds.
Sometimes ten or more muskrats gather at a hole on the ice to feed. Early winter flocks of waterfowl can be seen from the road and the viewing area; look for Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal. Woodpeckers and other woodland birds are common at this time; Screech and Great Horned Owls, Pileated Woodpecker and Red-breasted Nuthatch are all possibilities.
Listen for the serenading frogs such as wood, pickerel, bull and tree as the vestiges of winter fade away. Snow, ice and barren landscape is replaced by many species of flowering plants and shrubs in and along the swamp. Be on the lookout for returning Neotropical birds such as Scarlet Tanager and Prothonotary, Hooded, Pine, Prairie, Black-throated Green and Black-and-white Warblers. Baltimore Orioles will soon begin building hanging, woven nests along the tree line.
Wood Duck and Great Blue and Green Herons are common residents of the wetlands area. Look skyward for resident Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Cooper’s Hawks as they catch afternoon thermals. Along with large showy butterflies like Tiger, Black and Spicebush Swallowtails, look for the more diminutive blue Spring and Summer Azures. Scour the pond edges for emerging dragonflies such as Common Darner, Eastern Pondhawk and Common Whitetail. This is also the best time to spot a black bear.
Fall is a good time to observe migrating waterfowl from the blind; wintering waterfowl will start to settle in a bit later in the season. Migrating hawks will be passing through from early-September to early November; highlights may include Broad-winged, Red-shouldered, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Peak fall foliage usually occurs early to mid-October.
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