Located in Toms River, NJ 530 acre Cattus Island is a part of the Ocean County Park system.  In the heart of the “Jersey Shore” Cattus Island offers a variety of ecosystems including  maritime upland pine/oak forest, salt marsh, and freshwater wetlands.  Cattus Island Park plays home to a multitude of plant and wildlife and offers a target rich environment for the nature/wildlife photographer.

Spring

Springtime heralds the return of a wide variety of migratory birds including the colorful wading birds in their finest breeding plumage.  Included in the variety of wading birds would be the elegant Great Egret and its smaller cousin the Snowy Egret.

Also to be found and photographed are the Little Blue Heron and Glossy Ibis.  If you are lucky enough you can score a wading bird trifecta in the same shot such as this image featuring the Glossy Ibis, Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron, all in the same frame.

Spring also heralds the return of the Osprey for its breeding season.  This magnificent bird of prey is one of the great wildlife conservation stories.  Bouncing back from the threat of extinction, though still considered a threatened species, the Osprey has returned to prominence along water ways where it demonstrates its highly skilled fishing abilities.  With a number of strategically placed Osprey Nest Boxes around Cattus Island, you can watch the mated pairs raise and fledge their young throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall before they depart for their southern nesting locations for the winter.

Summer

The approach of summer offers the opportunity to photograph a number of small song birds including but not limited to the Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird,  American Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbirds and many others.  Other potential subjects include a variety of Herons such as the the Great Blue Heron, Black Crowned Night Heron and Tri-colored Heron.

Summer is also the time the Cattus Island Butterfly Garden starts to come into its own offering the opportunity to see and photograph a wide variety of butterflies and other pollinators.

Autumn

Offering a prime display of fall foliage, Autumn also brings the migration of a number of avian visitors as well as the opportunity to take advantage of the annual Monarch migration.  Visitors to the park in the Fall include the Yellow Rumped Warbler and the possibility of catching a few migratory raptors such as the Merlin.

Winter

Winter is a relatively quiet period in the park as compared to the bustle of activity in the other three seasons.  But it does offer pastoral scenery and can become a winter wonderland following snowfall which has been plentiful this year.

Cattus Island Park offers a four season opportunity to practice your photographic stills or simply to go take in the best of what nature has to offer.  With nearly all areas of the park accessible either by service roadway or numerous trails, I hope that when you are in the area, you will make it a point to visit.  And if you happen to see a gray haired guy strapped to a Nikon, take a moment to say “Hi”.  I can be be found many evenings during the summer and frequently on the weekends when I’m not elsewhere photographing the splendors of nature.