Abbott Marshlands (note the plural!) is a sprawling marshy area that stretches from Trenton to Hamilton and Bordentown. I’m focusing on the area at and around Silver Lake and John A. Roebling Park, which is accessed at the stub end of Sewell Avenue in Trenton. It’s the section of the marshlands that sees the most activity by birders.
What a gathering of birds you’ll find! Entering from Sewell Avenue, you’ll come through a gate and drive down a newly paved (late 2023) road that leads to a parking lot at its base. From the moment you step out of your vehicle you’ll likely to see and hear birds immediately.
For the latest information on birds seen at Roebling Park and Silver Lake, visit eBird.
The most obvious feature is Silver Lake to your left. It’s open water frequented by gadwalls, ring-necked ducks and other waterfowl during the cold months, and through the warm months it’s covered with water lillies and other plants that cover much of the surface. There’s a wooded, mostly flat path to walk around the lake. The trees are a haven for mockingbirds, sparrows, kinglets, catbirds, wrens and plenty more, and there’s good access to the water’s edge at various points around the lake.
I don’t know the dimensions of the lake, but it’s essentially round and wide enough that to see birds on the water, either in the middle or on the far shore, a spotting scope is necessary. But binoculars and a telephoto lens will still serve you well. Walkaround time depends on one’s pace, but an hour is my estimate for a normal birding pace with frequent stops.
Rather than walk around the lake, on most visits I head to the right from the parking lot to the marsh that’s adjacent to the lake, with a two-lane path that runs between them. The marsh is much narrower than the lake, and it’s a great vantage point from which to see ducks and geese and, most times, a pair of mute swans who have been living at the marsh for several years, long-time visitors have told me. The swans also hang out on Silver Lake. [Note: in Spring 2025, the mute swans disappeared. As of the end of the year, they had not returned.]
As you make your way up the lakeside path, several benches are available to rest on and take in the scenery. The marsh-side path has a few cutouts that enable you to get to its edge, and the trees along the path are often full of birds, including warblers during migration season. It’s easy to switch back and forth between the two trails, and I often walk them in a sort of slalom fashion to increase my chances of finding birds. Belted kingfishers often fly between the lake and marsh, so be alert for them at every point on the paths.
As you make your way up the paths, you’ll spot a wooden footbridge. You can turn left to go around the lake counter-clockwise, or you can walk across the bridge to the back island portion of the park. There’s plenty to explore (and at certain times plenty of bugs) in that area. I usually follow the orange trail that generally bears to the right along the marsh’s edge and ultimately comes to a crossing point with a trail on the back edge of the marsh. I most often turn right and look into the marsh from a couple of short side trails. There’s a short white trail that forms a loop to the main path, and it’s also an area rich with birds, including hairy woodpeckers.
You can go left along the back edge of the marsh and loop around the back island and eventually connect to the orange trail to the bridge. I have to admit, I’ve gotten turned around and lost on that side more than once.
As an alternative to the Sewell Avenue entrance, you can drive to the Tulpehaking Nature Center and park there or drive downhill a bit and catch the first trail to your right that connects with the loop around Silver Lake. I have yet to visit the nature center or attend one of the many nature programs it offers.
What I love about Roebling park and Silver Lake is that they offer a great cross-section of woodland birds and waterfowl and occasional rarities. Bald eagles and ospreys fly over at various times of year. While it doesn’t attract Northern harriers the way the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm does, the marshlands more than make up for that with the gulls and other waterbirds who regularly come calling.
John A. Roebling Park and Silver Lake are open and accessible dawn to dusk year-round. The park is just three miles from the state capitol building, and it’s near the intersection of interstates 195 and 295. Search for Abbott Marshlands Roebling Park Spring Lake for GPS directions.
The Jersey Birder 