A Birding Day in Cape May

Spend the day birding in Cape May. Fall is hawk watching season at Cape May Point and that is where we will start our day. Please bring water, snacks, and lunch. You may also wish to bring a hat and sunscreen since we will be out in some sunny areas. Here is our schedule:

9:30 am: Meet at the Cape May Point State Park Hawk Watch Platform. We will spend about 30 minutes at the platform, so if you are running late it will be easy to find us. If there are favorable weather conditions for migration (NE winds), we may want to spend more morning time at the hawk watch platform before we head into the park trails. The day's timing is subject to change based on the birds we see.

10 am-12 noon: Birding along the trails at the state park. We will be walking on the boardwalk, through the woods, and on some gravel trails.

12 noon-12:30 pm: Lunch break at the picnic tables at the state park.

12:30 pm- ??: There are a number of places to explore and we can decide that day. Right up the road from the state park are Lake Lilly, where we can see ducks and herons as well as migrating songbirds, and the adjacent Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center. There is a small trail around the center, which can often have some good songbirds. If you are looking for binoculars, this is your opportunity to stop into the Northwood Center where you will find the biggest binocular selection around. Other options for the afternoon are the South Cape May Meadows and Higbee Beach.

The state park has a large parking area with rest rooms and water fountains. All locations that we would visit are a short drive from the state park and attendees can drive their own vehicles to each location or car pool. Stay for all or part of the day.

Rain date: If it is raining in Cape May on September 30, we will reschedule to Wednesday Oct 1.

More information:
Cape May Point Hawk Watch: https://njaudubon.org/watch/cape-may-hawkwatch/

South Cape May Meadows: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/south-cape-may-meadows/

Cape May Bird Observatory: https://njaudubon.org/centers/cape-may-bird-observatory/

Higbee Beach WMA: https://njaudubon.org/wp-content/wildlife/DelawareBayshoreTrails/Sites/tabid/440/Scope/site/Guide/DELBAYSH/Site/35/Default.html

GPS Coordinates for Cape May Point State Park:
38.932982, -74.961144

Leaders: Tony & Pat Nastase (patnastase@gmail.com)