When submitting eBird observations at Peaslee Wildlife Management Area, it is most helpful to start a new checklist for each hotspot in the wildlife management area. Use the general hotspot when you have a checklist that includes multiple locations or if no other hotspot or personal location is appropriate for your sightings.

Don't miss the influx of breeding and migrating passerines in spring. The access points along NJ-49 and CR-644 are some of the best spots in the region for warblers, tanagers, and vireos.

Winter:  Winter is a wonderful time to drive the many sand and gravel roads in Peaslee. Try the 7-mile auto-trail loop that begins and ends on Hesstown Rd. Listen closely for the calls of owls while visiting in winter. You may be able to hear them calling to each other as they begin and carry on their courtship.
Spring:  Spring is the premier season for Peaslee with the breeding and migrating passerines as well as a great diversity of butterflies and dragonflies.
Summer:  Even for the most advanced paddler, canoeing or kayaking the lower Tuckahoe River can be quite challenging, but very rewarding as a wide variety of wildflowers are in bloom along the route.
Fall:  Take precautions against chiggers and ticks as you explore Peaslee. Outdoor activities such as canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and bicycling are still quite enjoyable, and as the leaves begin to fall you may have a much better chance of seeing a red fox or either Barred Owl and northern pine snake, both of which are on New Jersey’s threatened list.

Extensive, contiguous parcels of forested habitat support impressive numbers of breeding state-threatened Barred Owls. State-threatened Red-headed Woodpeckers prefer open areas that are interspersed with trees. A long list of regional responsibility species also breed among Peaslee’s scrub-shrub, mixed upland forest, and forested wetland habitats including Broad-winged Hawks, Worm-eating Warblers, and Scarlet Tanagers.

At over 25,000-acres, Peaslee Wildlife Management Area is the second largest WMA in the state of New Jersey. Due to its size and the limitations of this guide, we can only direct you to a few of the WMA’s access points. We recommend downloading the topographical maps on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website at www.njfishandwildlife.com/wmaland.htm and taking the time to explore the site on your own. Numerous sand and gravel roads traverse the area, and although you may feel lost from time to time, you will soon find your way back to a paved road. For a shorter visit, stick to the paved roads and pull off to scan the forest or any one of numerous sunny openings. Peaslee is the southern-most example of true pine barrens forest with a predominance of pine-oak woodland. However, there are also pockets of different vegetation such as maple-gum swamp and other forested wetlands; and sedge meadows and cultivated fields that have been planted for wildlife. The variety of habitats attracts an unusually large variety of species. Peaslee is bordered by the Tuckahoe River to the east and the Manumuskin River to the west.