Cape May, at the southern tip of New Jersey, is one of the top places in the world to visit for birding. More than 1 million birds touch down here between late August and early November during their migratory journey south. Some say that nearly every bird species in North America shows up here in either the spring or fall.
Visitors come from all around the country, and as far away as Europe and South Africa, to view the splendor of these winged creatures as they stop in the few square miles of beaches and marshlands in Cape May. From osprey to red-tailed hawks to glossy ibis, the range of birds that can be seen here in the fall is nothing short of breathtaking.
During last year’s migration I visited the area with my son, a bird enthusiast who completed an internship at the Raptor Trust, a bird-rehabilitation center in Millington, where his love for the avian world grew.
We were excited for our first experience birding in Cape May, heading out on a tour with the birding expert from Cape Resorts, which owns a number of hotels and restaurants.
After we arrived, we headed straight to South Cape May Meadows, a sprawling, 200-acre preserve that’s a haven for native and migratory birds. It’s protected and maintained by the Nature Conservancy in New Jersey and has a rare feature on the Jersey Shore: a full mile of undeveloped, protected beach.
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The meadows are located at a critical point on the Atlantic Flyway (a major north-south migration route for birds in North America) and provide refuge for native and migratory birds. The protected land has two miles of flat, walkable trails that traverse lush meadows. A new ADA-compliant boardwalk offers opportunities for a wider audience to enjoy the beautiful views and birding; it has handrails, benches and braille signage.
As we started our walk through the meadows, we could see the picturesque Cape May Lighthouse in the distance. We traveled along the beautiful pathways, looking out for birds along the way. To our delight, we saw a yellow warbler and a merlin (a bird of prey), with the help of our guide.
Cape May is a world-famous geographic funnel, where migratory birds congregate during spring and fall, as the winds redirect southbound coastal travelers looking for a resting habitat to this peninsula—and the same in the spring, as they head back up north. Last year, 1.6 million birds came through Cape May during the spring and fall migrations, says Brett Ewald, director of Cape May Bird Observatory, which is run by New Jersey Audubon.
This year, the observatory is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It’s a research and education center where scientists conduct major seasonal migration research, not just on birds, but also butterflies, dragonflies and bats.
“Because we’re part of the Atlantic Flyway,” says Ewald, “we get tremendous numbers of birds and tremendous diversity, as well as quite a few rare species,” including the European storm petrel, a species of seabird. There are also a Cape May Hawk Watch, a Morning Flight Songbird count, and an Avalon Seawatch 18 miles up the coast, which counts migrating waterbirds flying past the peninsula.
“We’re also here to help visitors—we get thousands and thousands of visitors here at Cape May, and for good reason,” he says. Throughout the year, they conduct more than 300 programs, from two-hour bird walks to multiday intensive workshops. They also loan out binoculars and do a weekly trolley tour of the birds’ natural habitats. The walks at the South Cape May Meadows are conducted in partnership with the Nature Conservancy.
As we headed over to the hawk watch, we saw a crowd of people gathered on the raised platform, all with binoculars at the ready. Some of the birders also had cameras with giant lenses to catch action shots of these avian celebrities.
Tom Reed, who coordinates the migration count for the Cape May Bird Observatory, stood at the ready in a special spot, keeping track of all the birds coming through. “We’ll see a couple thousand hawks come through here; I’ve already seen 500 hawks today,” he says.
Chris Buondonno, a wildlife field technician for the observatory, was standing among the crowd on the platform, calling out the birds he spotted with his binoculars.
“White ibis over the pavilion!” he called out, and all heads turned. “Sharp shin hawk! Northern harrier hawk!”
It was exhilarating to see these magnificent birds out in the wild, and my son added many birds to his life list of bird species that he’s seen, including a palm warbler, a widgeon, a broad-winged hawk, an American kestrel and a golden-crowned kinglet.
“All of our watch sites are open to the public,” says Ewald, adding that the newly renovated welcome center nearby is also now open. It has an interactive kiosk featuring the calls of local birds and an interactive preserve map.
After an exciting day of birding, my son and I headed back to our nearby hotel, the Sandpiper Beach Club, to get some rest.
In the morning, as we were driving along the waterfront, we saw a huge bird fly over our heads and land on top of a light pole. To our shock, it was a bald eagle.
I was so excited to get a closer look at this beauty that I nearly had an accident trying to jump out of the car without putting it in park first. The bird stayed there for several minutes, giving us time to get our fill, and then it flew off, heading south for the winter, along with the thousands of other birds visiting Cape May this fall.
