New Jersey Pinelands Commission

A gorgeous, deep blue, white and chestnut kingfisher perched on a tree overlooking a bog.

Female belted kingfishers sport more colorful plumage than males.

A female kingfisher with its bill open. Looks like she's laughing!

A belted kingfisher looks to her right while perched on a dead tree. Female kingfishers have more colorful plumage than males. This one is a deep blue, offset by a white chest and a chestnut band across its belly.

A belted kingfisher perched over a bog while bathed in warm, bright sunlight.

The species looks ancient, and with good reason. "The oldest known fossil in the kingfisher genus is 2 million years old, found in Alachua County, Florida," according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

A gorgeous, female belted kingfisher is perched over a bog in the Pinelands. It sports shiny, blue-gray and white plumage, with a chestnut band across its belly.

QUEEN OF THE BOG: New photos of a female belted kingfisher perched above a bog in the #NewJersey #Pinelands. They are super skittish, so I hid behind trees and stayed silent while snapping photos from a long distance. 💙 🐦 🌎

📷: Paul Leakan, NJPC

#birds #nature #birdphotography #wildlife

This painted turtle has completed its mission to climb onto a floating dock abd bask in the warm sunlight.

A painted turtle hoists itself on top of a floating, wooden dock in a bog in the Pinelands. It has gorgeous red and yellow coloration on its shell. The water ripples in the bright, afternoon sun.

Oh, how I love turtles and am thrilled to see them after a long, cold, snowy winter. 🐢 ❤️ 🌞

A native painted turtle peeks over the edge of a floating, wooden dock in a bog in the Pinelands. The photo was taken yesterday.

GUESS WHO'S BACK: Were you looking for me? Yes! Here are new photos of a native painted #turtle climbing onto a floating dock to bask in a bog in the #NewJersey #Pinelands. Have you seen 🐢s in 2026? 🌎

📷: Paul Leakan, NJPC

#naturephoto #wildlife

Thank you!

A bright sunburst appeared behind pitch pine trees along a road in the Pinelands.

Sunbeams slicing through pitch pines along a roadside in the Pinelands.

Sunlight illuminating rays through pine trees along a roadside in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Early morning hung over tge forest and was illuminated by sunlight.

GLORIOUS: This morning's stunning views in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in the New Jersey Pinelands 🌞 ... Such a gorgeous day! 🌎 🌳

📷: Paul Leakan, Pinelands Commission Communications Officer

#sunburst #fog #trees #nature #sun

The event is co-sponsored by Stockton University and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

ONE PINE DAY: Scenes from yesterday's 37th annual Pinelands Short Course at Stockton University. 🦉

Approximately 450 people attended the daylong, educational event, which explored the natural, cultural and historic treasures of the Pinelands.

📷: Paul Leakan, NJPC

#wildlife #birds #nature

And writer of short stories ...

This kid grew up and now runs this account. Youngest of eight. Wearer of hand-me-downs. Lover of nature. 🌳 🌎

#retro #Pinelands #tbt

Rain dripping on from a twig, with a string bokeh-blurred background.

A soggy morning in the New Jersey Pinelands. 🌧 🌳 🌎

#Rain #bokehphotography #raindrops

A male bufflehead duck flying low over the water.

A male bufflehead duck flying over water in the Pinelands ...

A male bufflehead duck flying low over the water. It boasts beautiful black and white plumage.

Five mallard ducks swimming in a marsh in the Pinelands.

Male and female Mallard ducks swimming in a marsh in the Pinelands.

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! Here are views of mallard ducks and two photos of a bufflehead duck in the Pinelands National Reserve. 🦆 🪶 ❤️

📷: Paul Leakan, Pinelands Commission Communications Officer

#ducks #duck #waterfowlwednesday #wildlife #birds

Huge news!

These three native painted turtles were photographed basking on a log in a former cranberry bog in the Pinelands on March 10, 2025.

Happy Turtle Tuesday! With temperatures possibly soaring into the 70s next week, will we see turtles basking in the Pinelands, as we saw these beauties at the same time last year? 🤔. We'll be looking. Please let us know what you see! 🐢 🌎 🌞

📷: Paul Leakan, NJPC

#turtles

A Cooper's hawk flies off while clutching a bird -- likely a female cardinal -- in its talons. The hawk flew away with its prey into the snow-covered forest.

A Cooper's hawk looks down at the bird that it has grabbed, and the bird's beak is open while looking back up at the hawk.

Cooper's hawks primarily eat birds.

A native Cooper's hawk stands over a bird it snatched from a tree, with the bird pinned into the snow.

New views of a Cooper's hawk that snatched a bird from a tree in Wharton State Forest in the New Jersey Pinelands. Caution: these images may be upsetting. 🐦 🌎

📷: Paul Leakan, NJPC

#birds #nature #wildlifephotography

Turning the page on our 2026 Pinelands National Reserve wall calendar ...

Happy March in the New Jersey Pinelands! We're excited to defrost and inch ever closer to seeing spring flowers and turtles, frogs, snakes and other critters. 🌳 🐢 🐸 🐍 🌼

📷: Paul Leakan, Pinelands Commission Communications Officer

#March #trees #nature