The Kestrel Express:
News of CMBO's Seasonal Field Trips,
Programs, and Workshops
Welcome to the Kestrel Express
February 2012
Less paper = More trees =
More habitat = More birds =
More reasons to visit Cape May!
A fairly simple calculation when you think of it. We're working on something new to save paper, trees, habitat, birds, time, and money. We're posting the Kestrel Express online and hope that you will forego getting a printed copy of the Kestrel delivered to your door. It's always available online and never buried in a pile of forgotten mail.
Not a member yet?
Join now and enjoy all the benefits of membership including:
• The Kestrel Express delivered directly to your email address
• Advance notice of special events and programs
• Reduced rates on our activities, workshops, and special events
• Exclusive Member Only birding access to “The Beanery”
• Discounts at all NJ Audubon nature shops
• Discounts at many local businesses that support our organization.
Our efforts are supported almost entirely by the support of our members.
Click here & become a member now!
In every walk with nature one receives far more
than he seeks. John Muir
Winters Seasons Passage by Pete Dunne
Going to the Circus in Winter
When I think of winter I think of marshes and when I think of winter marshes my mind immediately goes to raptors. Living as I do, surrounded by one of the planet’s greatest wintering raptor concentrations, it’s a natural association.
Exciting, too. Almost assured. Every morning I go afield (and this excludes precious few mornings) I can count on multiple sightings of Bald Eagles, dozens of Northern Harriers, and Red-taileds, Cooper’s Hawks and.... Heck. I’d do it for the harriers alone. And at Turkey Point, I’ve counted more than 50 hunting birds in a single scan.
I suspect that some breeding female harriers actually overwinter. They engage in territorial displays throughout the winter. They begin sky dancing in March!
Everywhere else in the world, it’s the male harrier that initiates these spirited aerial courtship displays. Not here. And speaking of courtship...Great-horned Owls are an every-morning-treat for me. Already paired, in fact, by late January, incubating eggs, I can take you to a place where three Great Horned Owl territories abut and the birds start talking to each other before the sun sets.
Often, the birds sally out while it’s still light enough to see them.
Long-eared Owls and Short-eared Owls are also present most winters-in fact, by January 27, 2012, I will have figured out where the Long-eareds are roosting this year (and where to stand to watch them go aloft to hunt). My record is 13 birds in a single evening.
What’s so special about Friday, January 27? It’s the first day of the three-day winter raptor workshop. I get to lead it this year. Pulled rank. Asserted my seniority. Argued, convincingly, that insofar as I live on the Bayshore, I am the workshop leader best suited....
What? Of course we’ll look at other birds. We’re equal opportunity observers. And the Bayshore is waterfowl rich. But the ecology of winter raptors is the focus of the three day outing. Something to look forward to after the holidays. Maybe even something to give someone as a present for the holidays.
Winter. My favorite season. And raptors. My favorite birds. And...almost forgot – don’t forget the Cumberland County Eagle Festival, February 11. If a workshop doesn’t fit in your schedule, how about a day?
With best wishes and hopes to raise glasses with you over a harrier or two I am,
Northwood Center
701 East Lake Dr., Cape May Point, NJ
Winter Hours: November - March, open Wednesday - Sunday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Spring Hours: April & May, open 7 days; 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Summer Hours: June - August, open Wednesday - Sunday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Fall Hours: September & October,
open 7 days; 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Closed February 21 & 22 for inventory
Center for Research & Education
600 Route 47 N., Cape May Court House, NJ
Open 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, Tuesday thru Saturday;
Closed on Sundays & Mondays.
Closed February 23 & 24 for inventory
Winter Schedule thru February 2012
The following activities, led by CMBO’s stellar associate naturalists and/or professional staff, meet at locations highlighted on the CMBO Bird and Butterfly Map of Cape May County, available online or from either CMBO center. Regularly scheduled weekly walks do not require pre-registration, simply show up at the time and location. Cost for regularly scheduled walks, unless otherwise indicated, is $6 for members of New Jersey Audubon/Cape May Bird Observatory (not affiliated with National Audubon) and $10 for non-members. Other activities requiring pre-registration are highlighted and fees are listed.
Pre-Registered Activities
Those activities requiring pre-registration will be noted along with registration fee. To register, please send payment , specifying program choices and program dates along with your name, address, e-mail address, and cell or daytime phone numbers to Cape May Bird Observatory, 600 Route 47 North, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. Or by calling 609.861.0700. Paid registration ensures a place. Group size is limited and a minimum number of participants is necessary. Sorry, no refunds unless the program is cancelled by CMBO. Instructions for field trips, with meeting times, places, and other details, will be sent at least one week prior to the event, and are usually available upon request.
Bring binoculars, field guides, bug repellent, sunscreen, and drinking water. Dress for prevailing weather and protection from sun, cold, wind, rain, and snow.
Note: Programs may be cancelled due to weather conditions, which does not happen often.
SATURDAYS
BIRDING CAPE MAY POINT
Saturdays, December 3 to February 25 (no walk on December 24 or December 31)
8:00 am to 10:00 am - No registration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
Great year-round birding occurs right in the heart of Cape May Point. Meet CMBO naturalists at Cape May Point State Park near the Hawkwatch platform. Enjoy wintering waterfowl and songbirds and, in March, search for early returning migrants.
PHOTO WALKS WITH MIKE HANNISIAN
Saturdays, February 4 to 25
8:00 am to 10:00 am -
No registration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
Bring your camera and gear for a gentle but serious nature photo-learning expedition around Cape May Point. Mike is an experienced, award-winning photographer, writer, and teacher who is interested in all forms of nature photography. Expect a variety of shooting opportunities, from birds to plants to ice formations to landscape. Meet on the Hawkwatch Platform, Cape May Point State Park, and please bring your camera user guide book if available.
BRIGANTINE AND MOTT’S CREEK
Saturday, February 25
Noon to 5:00 pm
To register please call CMBO at 609.861.0700
Cost: $25 CMBO/NJ A Members; $35 non-members
Ducks are massing, Northern Harriers and, perhaps, Short-eared Owls will be hunting. Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks are also possible. Meet CMBO naturalists at Brigantine, a.k.a. Forsythe NWR. After birding the refuge the group will head to nearby Mott’s Creek for raptor watching. A $4 refuge pass (can be purchased that day at Brigantine), Golden Age Pass, or Federal Duck Stamp will be required for each vehicle to enter the NWR. This trip is also offered on December 10.
WOODCOCK DANCE
Saturday, March 3 from
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 10 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
To register please call CMBO at 609.861.0700
Cost: $8 CMBO/NJ A Members; $15 non-members
Limited to 20 participants
Each year the dance or nuptial flight of the male American Woodcock heralds spring. Witness this wonderful and short-lived spring phenomenon. This walk will meet at the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen for materials and a brief woodcock talk, then regroup at a nearby woodcock hotspot.
17th ANNUAL MEMBERS ONLY OPTICS SALE
Saturday & Sunday - March 17 & 18
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Come to the CMBO Center for Research and Education in Goshen for a super selection of closeout, demo, factory-refurbished, new, and used optics priced to move. Binoculars and spotting scopes from all major brands will be available. There are no advance or phone orders: first come, first served. You must be a member of NJ Audubon or CMBO to take advantage of these great deals, so click here and join today if you’re not already a member.
SUNDAYS
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT TURKEY POINT
Sundays, February 19 and February 26
8:00 am to 10:00 am - No registration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
Meet CMBO naturalists for a walk for winter birds down New Jersey’s miracle mile. Meet at the end of Turkey Point Road in Cumberland County (reached from Route 553 south of the town of Dividing Creek).
NIGHTFALL AT CORBIN CITY IMPOUNDMENTS
Sunday, February 26
4:00 pm to Dusk -
No registration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
The Corbin City Unit of the Tuckahoe Wildlife Man agement Area overlooks the rich marshes along the Tuckahoe and Great Egg Harbor Rivers, a winter hotspot for Rough-legged Hawks, Short-eared Owls, Northern Harriers, Bald and Golden Eagles, winter waterfowl and winter songbirds. Meets at North Branch of Cape May County Library: Northbound on Garden State Parkway, take Exit 20 to Route 50; go 3.9 miles to Dennisville-Petersburg Road (Route 631); turn right, watch for Upper Township Library on right side less than one mile. Southbound on Garden State Parkway, take Exit 25 toward CR 623/ Ocean City/Marmora; right onto Roosevelt Blvd./CR 623; after .6 miles, CR 623 becomes Route 631; Continue on Route 631 for 4.2 miles watch for library on the left.
MONDAYS
BIRD WALK FOR BEGINNERS (and anyone else in town)
Monday, February 20 (President's Day) 
10:00 am to Noon - No reqistration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
Cape May is a great place to spend the weekend any time of year, and many people take advantage of three-day weekends to come
on down. Finish out the long weekend with CMBO’s expert naturalists by learning what birds linger in the waters and woods here at the Birding Capital of North America. No birding experience necessary, loaner binoculars will be available. Meets at Cape May Point State Park.
FRIDAYS
WINTER EVENING AT THE MEADOWS
Friday, February 24
4:30 pm to Dusk - No registration required.
Cost: $6 CMBO/NJ A Members; $10 non-members
The Meadows, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy on Sunset Blvd., is a rich habitat that can attract a long list of species.
Meet CMBO naturalists at The Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge parking area on Sunset Boulevard to enjoy this magical season at a magical time, when local birders have come to expect woodcock displaying, snipe on the move, Virginia Rails calling, and other signs of spring. This walk will also be offered in March.
PROGRAM REGISTRATION - Not all programs require preregistration, but some do – see individual program write-ups. Please send payment for programs where preregistration is required, or call in payments, program choices, and program dates, along with your name, address, e-mail address, and cell/daytime phone numbers to Cape May Bird Observatory, 600 Route 47 North, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. Register directly by phone by calling 609.861.0700. Paid registration ensures a place. Group size is limited and a minimum number of participants is necessary. Sorry, no refunds unless the program is cancelled by CMBO. Instructions for field trips, with meeting times, places, and other details, will be sent at least one week prior to the event, and are usually available upon request.
Cape May School of Birding Specialty Workshops
Preregistration required; click to download Registration Form. Please register early; these workshop fill quickly. We reserve the right to
cancel undersubscribed workshops with five days advance notice to registered participants.
Adobe Reader is required to download the registration form. This is a free Adobe Download
HOT BIRDS IN COLD WEATHER!
Saturday and Sunday, January 14 and 15 (2 days)
Leader - Mike Crewe; 2nd leader (if needed) - Louise Zemaitis
Cost:
$150 CMBO/NJ A Members; $190 non-members
Meets at 8:00 am at Cape May Point State Park. Full details will be mailed to registrants.
Winter is far from the doldrums in Cape May. We’ll target hard-to-find winter specialties like Purple 
Sandpiper, Great Cormorant, Harlequin Duck,and many others. Ocean-watching means a chance for all three scoters, eiders, loons, and Northern Gannets; or something really unusual, like an alcid or a special gull. Perhaps winter finches like Red Crossbills will appear again at Cape May Point, or we’ll have a chance at a lingering rarity found during the Christmas Bird Counts. Day One of this workshop will focus on the Cape May area. Day Two may explore either up the Delaware Bayshore to Cumberland County, or up the coast to Atlantic County, depending on the conditions and what’s being seen. We’ll include an indoor session on tough winter identifications.
TECHNIQUES OF FIELD OBSERVATION
Saturday, January 21 (1 day)
Leader - Michael O'Brien; 2nd leader (if needed) - Louise Zemaitis
Cost:
$85 CMBO/NJ A Members; $125 non-members
Meets at 8:00 am at Cape May Point State Park. Full details will be mailed to registrants.
Set the tone for the new year of birding by sharpening your field skills. This is the workshop that every birder wishes they’d taken. Binoculars show you the bird. Field guides identify the bird. But how many times have you studied a bird only to discover that all the information you gathered has evaporated by the time you get to the field guide, or that the one field mark you need to distinguish one feathered gremlin from another was the one thing you failed to note. This workshop will teach you how to look, record and recall, and, most importantly, how to bird like an expert.
WINTERING HAWKS, EAGLES, AND OWLS
Friday through Sunday, January 27-29 (3 days)
Leader - Pete Dunne; 2nd leader (if needed) - Megan Crewe
Cost: $225 CMBO/NJ A Members; $265 non-members
Meets at 8:00 am at Center for Research & Education. Full details will be mailed to registrants.
A weekend of raptor-watching and learning. Thirteen diurnal raptors and all eight New Jersey owls are possible on this workshop, thanks to southern New Jersey’s mosaic of prey-rich habitats. You’ll see a lot of other great birds in the process, alongwith some of the most beautiful and remote landscapes on the Eastern Seaboard. Learn to find and recognize good wintering hawk and owl habitat. The bulk of this workshop is in the field, with indoor sessions to heighten your understanding of wintering birds of prey. Past years have featured a Golden Eagle hunting Snow Geese in the company of several Bald Eagles, plus point-blank Eastern Screech Owls, Rough- legged Hawks of both color morphs, and hunting Short-eared and Great Horned Owls.
WATERFOWL HEADING NORTH
Friday and Saturday, March 15 and 16 (2 days)
Leader - Pete Dunne; 2nd leader (if needed) - TBA
Cost: $150 CMBO/NJ A Members; $190 non-members
Meets at 8:00 am at Center for Research & Education. Full details will be mailed to registrants.
Two days spent around the lakes, ponds, and back bays of Cape May County during a great time for ducks. Learn how to tell your scaups and your scoters apart, search for vagrant Eurasian Wigeon, and keep fingers crossed for a good look at a Harlequin Duck. This workshop comes right ahead of our annual optics sale, giving you a chance to mix great birding with an opportunity to check out the latest deals and bargains on new and used spotting scopes!
GULLS SIMPLIFIED
Saturday, March 31 (1 day)
Leader - Michael O'Brien; 2nd leader (if needed) - Mike Crewe 
Cost:
$85 CMBO/NJ A Members; $120 non-members
Meets at 8:00 am at Cape May Point State Park. Full details will be mailed to registrants.
From the brown and mottled to the clean and gray, you either love gulls or you don’t. Whatever camp you’re in, join Michael O’Brien for a morning in the field learning the easy way to separate the four common winter gulls and practicing sifting flocks of gulls for something rare, and perhaps even find an Iceland Gull or other rare species. We’ll also cut through the fancy terminology around age and molt. After lunch we’ll head indoors for a review of gull plumages, aging, and some of the rarer species.