|
A NATURALIST ALONG THE JERSEY SHORE |
| by J. Burger, Rutgers University Press (1996) |
Go on a personal journey with a naturalist along the Jersey shore as she describes the lives of the common species, from Horseshoe Crabs to Herons; from the trilling Fowler's Toads to nesting Skimmers, terns, and Piping Plovers. Although set in New Jersey, the species whose lives are intertwined in a story of nature, personal exploration, and high adventure occur along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Maine. You will travel through the seasons from the first tinges of spring when Herring Gulls arrive to snow-covered salt marshes and shorebirds flock in droves to feed on Horseshoe Crab egggs at Cape May, to the Peregrins that haunt the shore in search of summer prey, to the fall Hawk migration in Cape May, and finally to the deepest cold that rolls over the snow-covered dunes and a lone Snowy Owl to sweep across the frozen bay. Discover the delicate mating dances of Fiddler Crabs on vast mudflats in the spring, the everchanging fish communities that swarm into the bays and estuaries, and the hordes of Monarch Butterflies that descend on Cape May each fall. Written by a naturalist who sees beauty and subtleties in the vast greens of endless saltmarshes as well as in the teaming colonies of nesting birds, breeding terrapins, and migrating birds, this book will provide glimpses into how a scientist can also love the Jersey shore.
Table of Contents:
THE SHORE COMMUNITY
1. Where did the shore come from?
2. Birds on salt marshes and beaches
3. Salt Hay, Glasswort and Other commercial ventures
4. Is global climate change a threat
SOLIDLY SPRING
5. Oystercatchers and Willets
6. The spring chorus: Fowler's Toads at Little Beach
7. Fiddler's Crabs at Cheesequake
8. Cattle Egrets on Islajo Island
9. Killifish move in
10. Horseshoe Crabs on Delaware Bay
11. Shorebirds along Delaware Bay
SUMMER SCENES
12. Laughing Gulls at Stone Harbor marshes
13. Civilized Mallards at Manahawkin
14. Common Terns and Skimmers
15. Piping Plover at Corson's Inlet
16. Peregrines, Ospreys and Harriers: diurnal Predators
17. Mink, Mussels, and Voles
18. Diamondback Terrapin at Little Beach
19. Mosquitos: the New Jersey State Bird
FALL CHANGES
20. The shorebirds return
21. Migrating Monarchs at Higbee Beach
22. Hawks in Cape May
WINTRY SOLITUDE
23. Nocturnal wanderings at Higbee Beach
24. Birding at Pt. Liberte: In search of a Snowy Owl
25. Snow Geese and Brant at Brigantine and Barnegat Bay
SIGNS OF SPRING
26. A Killdeers plaintive call on the Rutger's campus
27. Herring Gulls: Newcomer to the Jersey shore
28. Herons and Egrets at Barnegat Bay and along the Kills
TO OBTAIN: Call Rutgers Univ. Press 1 800 446-9323
