Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!Ā
I visited Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge as a side trip to the Finn’s Point stop on the Lighthouse Challenge of NJ, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019.
I arrived at the second stop on my list, the Finn’s Point Rear Range Lighthouse, designed to work in tandem with a front range light, similar to the Tinicum Light where I’d begun the morning.
Finn’s Point is the place where the Delaware River meets the Delaware Bay. It is named for the Finnish settlers who colonized the area in the 1600s. Today, it is part of the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
After climbing to the top of the lighthouse, I decide to explore the Wildlife Refuge. The ranger directed me the Grassland trail just down the road from the lighthouse. This trail is supposed to have a boardwalk observation platform, but the planks were lying in the dirt when I got there.
The refuge was formed to protect the winter home of the American Black Duck and other shore birds. It is on the Atlantic Flyway, an important stop for migratory birds.
The Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge. A component of the Delaware River estuary in Salem County, New Jersey, it is just north of the Salem River and south of Pennsville.
I was able to walk a bit on the woodland portion of the trail and saw some deer along the way.Ā I also came across a burial site from the 1800s…a family who had perished from smallpox.
2019 Lighthouse Challenge Posts:
- Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse
- Finn’s Point Lighthouse
- Supawna Meadows NWR
- East Point Lighthouse
- Maurice River
- Cape May Lighthouse
- Cape May Point State Park
- Tatham Lifesaving Station
- Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary
- Lifesaving Station 30
Location: 197 Lighthouse Rd, Pennsville, NJ 08070
Designation: National Wildlife Refuge
Date established/designated: 1974
Date of my visit: October 19, 2019
It’s always interesting to take a step back in time. The cemetery always tells us so much about significant events. Vivienne
Indeed š
I love that path in the open woodland! And of course the little graveyard would fascinate me.
It was a nice find and good to get away from the Lighthouse Challenge crowd for a little while
That’s one of our favorite Jersey lighthouses. That woodland area is great for bird watching. We enjoyed the 2019 Lighthouse Challenge.
Did you get to all the sites?
I love the trees.
Thanks š
I looked up that Indian name in NewJersey. It actually brought back memory but its a mystery. When i laid in bed as kid at night, i could here an indian pow wow – i would ask my parents but thwy didnr know what i was talking about. It has often hounded me. I have always what induan tribe wouldd heve been
I lived in claymont delaware
Interesting. Up here in northern N.J. it was mostly Lenape, but Iām not sure who lived down in the Supawna area
Nice tour. Guess I need to get up there during migration sometime. š
If you are into birding, South Jersey has a lot of good spots. Thanks š
Thanks! We are birders. Good info! š
Your pictures are magical! I love the mistiness and the solitude you capture, and somehow convey to your unknown readers, wherever we are! The deer is compelling, its presence a visitation. I’m always amused by these dark upright metallic ‘lighthouses’ down there – a far cry from Sandy Hook, from Cape May, from Old Barney. But they saved lives. And good for the people of this region – who knew enough, cared enough, and possessed courage enough to preserve them.
Pat and Clay Sutton’s marvelous Birding Cumberland County (includes Salem also), with superb illustrations by Louise Zemaitis, guides you down every lane, every “No Exit”, every subtle access to waters in that region, lands and waters essential to birds — NOW in spring migration, and in a more concentrated way, in autumn. Cape May Bird Observatory can help suggesting sites for exploration. Book available in their gift shop. “a Keeper!”
Thank you for teaching us new ways to appreciate New Jersey!
“Birding Cumberland”: A Birder’s Guide to Cumberland County, New Jersey Paperback ā January 1, 2003