ABOUT THE PARK:
Cattus Island County Park - Ocean County Parks
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.981731, -74.128724
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| 1/3 of the parking lot |
TRAIL MAP:
Cattus Island Trail Map - Ocean County Parks
HIKE DISTANCE: 7.8 miles
THE HIKE:
I have hiked here many times,
most recently with Shawnee on January 1, 2014, but always in the fall or winter. Because a picture of Shawnee at an Ocean County park had won second place in a photo contest, I needed to pick up the prize at Cattus Island County Park so it was a great excuse for a spring hike.
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| From the parking lot, heading towards the Cooper Environmental Center ... |
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| ... but turning right on the boardwalk which was closed from storm damage the last time I was here. |
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| Seems like every osprey nest has a plastic bag as part of the decor. |
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| The boardwalk ends at the playground which is at the far end of the parking lot but veer left ... |
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| ... to the red trail. |
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| Ovenbird |
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| Leaving red for the yellow loop. |
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| The trail beyond the bird blind was closed for boardwalk repair so we backtracked a bit ... |
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| ... took the paved park road to an unmarked trail running parallel to yellow and met back up with yellow beyond where repairs were taking place. |
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| People replacing the boardwalk over on yellow. |
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| Back on yellow, some short side trails to views of Silver Bay. |
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| Totally freaked out by those gigantic waves crashing in. |
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| A short bushwhack over to retrieve balloon #40 of the year. |
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| I had also picked up some litter along the way so I sorted that at the recycling and garbage cans at the park road. |
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| Finsihing the yellow loop and continuing on red to Mosquito Cove. |
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| Mourning Dove |
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| A cardinal and an eastern towhee singing back and forth for at least as long as I could hear them. |
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| Then a different eastern towhee and a gray catbird hanging out together. |
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| When red ends at the Cooper Environmental Center, left to the gravel road. |
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| Again, the plastic bag decor in the nest. |
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| Leaving the gravel road on blue. |
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| Black-capped Chickadee |
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| Gray Catbird |
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| Silver Bay |
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| And yes, another nest with a plastic bag. The on-duty parent on the nest ... |
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| ... the off-duty parent on a perch nearby. |
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| To stay on trails for the longer loop, keep straight on blue/white when blue turns right. |
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| Back at the gravel road, left. |
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| We'll be picking up blue/white on the other side at the doggie trash can on our way back. |
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| Not only does this osprey nest have the plastic bag .... |
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| ... it has a fishing line spool? What were they thinking when they decorated this nest? |
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| At the end of the gravel road, we continued out to the end. |
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| It's as far as you can go. |
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| After heading back, we turned left on orange before the gravel road. Orange had also been closed from storm damage the last time I was here. |
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| Osprey in flight. |
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| Tree Swallow |
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| Either way on orange. |
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| Red-winged Blackbird |
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| A gray catbired with some sort of prize he had found and hauled up into the tree. Looks like a Kleenex or some sort of paper. |
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| Off-duty and on-duty osprey couple. |
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| Having finished orange, left on the gravel road to ... |
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| continue left on blue/white at the doggie trash can. |
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| This one is banded but the picture is not near clear enough to make out any numbers. |
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| A large nest in a tree. Couldn't see if it was occupied. |
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| Back on the busy gravel road to ... |
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| ... the Cooper Environmental Center ... |
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| ... to claim our prize! |
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| Brodie accepts the second place award on behalf of Shawnee. We'll show Al the poodle when he comes to stay with us again. |
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| All of the cool stuff we won. The "Best Dog Ever" frame will get a picture of Shawnee. Sorry, Brodie, but that will always be Shawnee's title. |
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| This is the picutre from our hike at Shenandoah Lake County Park that won second place in the Pets in Our Ocean County Parks contest. Thanks Ocean County Parks for all of the cool stuff! |
