There is so much to see in Cape May during the fall, you might find yourself overwhelmed trying to figure out what to see, and when to see it. To make things a little easier, we’ve summed up the best of the best right here--the things you cannot and should not leave Cape May without seeing.
Morning Flight
On any given autumn morning, migrant songbirds engage in a “reorientation flight” after a night of migration. Several reasons for this movement have been suggested, but to date, there is no clear answer as to why this phenomenon occurs. At the north end of Higbee Beach WMA, observers count the number of birds engaged in this movement. Identifying these birds takes exceptional skill, so don’t stress about trying to identify them, but instead enjoy the spectacle of migration in progress. On the best flight mornings, thousands of birds can be seen.
Best time to go: The Songbird Morning Flight Project begins on August 15th and ends on October 31st. Early September to late October, after nights with a light north, northwest, or west wind. Birds will be moving through in greatest numbers during the first two hours after sunrise. The second morning after a cold front can often be best.
Insider’s Tip: Most of the birds you’ll see will actually be flying north. As mentioned earlier, songbirds and many other migrants are hesitant to make the 10+ mile crossing over the Delaware Bay, and instead fly back north along the Delaware Bayshore until they can find a safer, narrower crossing, or perhaps they are searching for some high-quality woodland in which to forage for a day or more before continuing their journey south. As well, the official morning flight count occurs atop a tall, steep dike which is hard to access. For safety and educational purposes, use the platform directly across from the dike, where a naturalist will be on hand to explain the flight and answer any questions you may have.
Hawkwatch
Cape May has often been dubbed the “Raptor Capital of North America,” and for good reason. Seventeen species and over 50,000 individual birds routinely pass through the peninsula during the course of a season. An official count of these birds occurs at the Cape May Autumn Hawkwatch, located in the Cape May Point State Park. The hawk watch also serves as the center of “as-it-happens” Cape May birding information, and some time spent on the hawkwatch can be a very educational and informative session. Seek out CMBO’s on-site Interpretive Naturalists in September and October, located on the first deck and sporting blue name tags. They’ll gladly assist you with identification help and happily answer any questions you might have about Cape May. On a good flight day, literally a hundred or more people can be squeezed elbow-to-elbow on the platform to see thousands of hawks, eagles and falcons passing through.
Best time to go: The Hawkwatch begins on September 1st and ends on November 30th. Peak flights occur between late September and late October, and almost always on days with winds out of the north or northwest. On a daily basis, accipiter (Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks) numbers are often best in the morning, buteos (e.g., Red-tailed Hawk) peak in the afternoon, and falcons (especially Merlins) in the late afternoon/early evening. However, the time between 9:00am and 12:00pm will usually produce the greatest overall numbers of birds.
Insider’s Tip: The structure you see on the beach, to the southeast of the platform, is an old World War II bunker used to protect the mouth of Delaware Bay from German U-Boats. It is now deteriorating and unsafe to access, but still serves as a lasting reminder of part of Cape May’s unique history.
Seawatch
Between late September and late December, hundreds of thousands (and some years over a million) coastal seabirds pass through the nearshore waters of the Cape May County Peninsula. At the north end of Avalon, where the shoreline juts almost a mile farther out to sea than the rest of the coast, observers keep tabs on just how many of these birds pass by each fall. Unlike the hawk watch or morning flight project, there is no observation deck here--just a parking area and a seawall. However, you will find the official Seawatch counter and usually an Interpretive Naturalist (October and November) or CMBO volunteer on-hand to help explain the flight. Birds are often distant, so if you own a spotting scope, this is a great place to put it to use!
Best time to go: The Seawatch begins on September 22nd and ends December 22nd, but you can see something neat here every day. If you visit the site during late September, expect to see Double-crested Cormorants, Green-winged Teal, various terns and wading birds on the move. In October, scoters, loons and gannets join the mix. Peak flights usually occur between the end of October and the beginning of November and can truly be mind-boggling. Loons and scoters usually make up the bulk of these massive flights. By the end of the season, loons, gulls and scoters account for the majority of the stragglers.
Insider’s Tip: If you visit the hawk watch, you’ll notice that there’s a system of landmarks used to point out the birds (the “eared pine”, the “red barn”, etc). There is also one at Avalon, which many birders are unaware.
Monarch Butterfly Migration
Yes, we know, they’re not birds--but how can you visit Cape May in September or October and not notice the Monarchs? Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Monarchs pass through Cape May every year. CMBO is a leader in Monarch migration research, studying and tagging these butterflies which are engaged in their southward migration. Monarchs tagged in Cape May have been found at numerous locations farther south, even at their final destination in Mexico! Presentations about the Monarch phenomenon are presented on Saturdays at the Cape May Point State Park. See “Workshops” for more details.
Best time for viewing Monarchs: The Monarch Monitoring Project begins on September 1st and ends on October 31st. Like birds, Monarchs seem to be more numerous after cold fronts, especially during the end of September and the beginning of October. Large numbers can often be seen during the early evening in vegetation behind the dunes in Cape May Point as they prepare to roost for the night. The various dune crossovers offer excellent vantage points. If you really want to see Monarchs, just ask around. Someone will likely know exactly where the largest concentrations have been seen.
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