Skip to Main Content
Road Scholar logo
New Jersey

Birding Cape May

Program No. 14349RJ
With its many protected areas and variety of unique habitats, Cape May is a mecca for both birds and birders alike. Come see songbirds in spring and raptors in the fall.
WishlistShare
Start
BirdingOutdoor Adventures
Length
6 days
Rating (4.96)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,149
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
14 meals ( 5B, 4L, 5D )
5 expert-led lectures
13 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Expand All
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the hotel meeting room to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.
Dinner:
At the hotel
Evening:
The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a Jitney, riding up to 5 miles. Walking up to 3 miles; sand, uneven terrain, paved walkways. Walking sticks are helpful during these field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Before we set out for the day we will gather for "Bird Identification Workshop"; with Adehl Schwaderer, Cape May Bird Observatory’s Program Coordinator. During this presentation, Adehl will review the important details to consider when identifying birds in the field, as well as teach various tips that will be helpful throughout the tour. We will then hop aboard the Jitney and head out on a field trip in Cape May to visit various local "Hot Spots" to track down any unusual species in the area to get the lay of the land. We will then head out via Jitney buses to Returning to the Hotel for lunch.
Lunch:
At the hotel.
Afternoon:
After lunch we will set out again for a birding field trip to the Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows property. This 200-acre refuge includes critical foraging and resting habitat for birds and wildlife. The preserve’s one-mile loop trail is characterized by dunes, freshwater wetlands, meadows, ponds, and a full mile of protected beach. It is an excellent place to view birdlife that may be present such as gulls, terns, herons, egrets, shorebirds, bitterns, rails, and ducks Upon returning to the hotel we will have another lecture from Pat Sutton on birds and birding in Cape May.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We’ll gather for a lecture “Hawk ID". Adehl will review the various raptor species that migrate through Cape May each fall and how to identify them in flight. From wing shape, coloration, flight pattern, and body shape, this presentation will provide you with a solid background for the day of hawk watching planned for tomorrow.
Activity Note
Early morning pre-breakfast birding walk. Getting on/off a Jitney, riding up to 5 miles. Walking up to 3 miles; sand, uneven terrain, paved walkways. Walking sticks are helpful during these field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. Coffee Station at the hotel at 6:15 for those going on the early birding trip.
Morning:
We will head out before breakfast for an early morning walk through Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, the sight of CMBO’s Morning Flight Migration Count. We will be spending time along field and forest edges to track down as many migrating warbler species as possible. We will then return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast at the hotel, we will head out to one of the busiest hawk watches on the East Coast, the Cape May Hawkwatch, located in Cape May Point State Park. The view from atop the observation deck of the Hawkwatch provides great views of the passing raptors, as well as an opportunity to see other migrating songbirds, waders, swallows, and insects. Depending on the conditions, the group may also take a short walk along the State Park’s woodland and dune trails. We will end the morning at the Cape May Point State Park, where we will eat our boxed lunches. (weather permitting)
Lunch:
Boxed Lunch Provided
Afternoon:
Following lunch, we will be joined by staff members of CMBO’s Monarch Monitoring Project who will review monarch ecology and lifecycle, as well as the research and education efforts the Project manages. During this time, you will also get an up-close look at live Monarch Butterflies and watch as small tags are affixed to Monarchs to track their migration to Mexico. Most importantly, we hope you leave this presentation with an understanding of how you can help support monarch so that their migrant populations will enjoy a secure future. We will visit various beaches in Cape May and Cape May Point to see a variety of gulls, terns, and other beach birds.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
We’ll gather for a lecture by local birding expert and Victor Emanuel Nature Tour guide Michael O’Brien will be presenting on the ‘LBJs’ (little brown jobs) of the birding world. Subtle and cryptic they might be difficult to identify they are not, providing you have the right instructor, place, and time. He will take the time to review common species like Swamp, Field, Savannah, and Chipping, as well as uncommon ones like Clay-colored, Vesper, Lincoln’s, Nelson’s, and Salt-marsh. He will first cover the principles of size, shape, and behavior, then help you to examine plumage patterns to discover how stunning sparrows can be.
Activity Note
Early morning pre-breakfast birding walk. Getting on/off a Jitney; riding about 20 miles. Walking up to 3 miles; sand, uneven terrain, paved walkways. Walking sticks are helpful during these field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After breakfast, we’ll take the Jitney to Rea Farm — known locally as the Beanery — bordering Pond Creek Marsh. We will have special access to this private property as we look for high flying raptors and groups of sparrows. The mix of wet woods, farm fields, weedy edges, and farm ponds, is crucial habitat for millions of warblers, passerines, finches, and sparrows. After wrapping up at Rea Farm, we will head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory’s Northwood Center for some backyard birding. The center is home to the Ryan De Witt Memorial Trail, which is a beautiful native habitat for migratory birds, butterflies, and local wildlife. There will also be an opportunity to spend time in the Visitor Center to check out optics, books, maps, and merchandise!
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
Next, we will ride a few miles north on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway to the barrier island of Avalon-Stone Harbor. We will explore the Cape May Bird Observatory’s Avalon Seawatch on the northern end to witness seabird migration in action, then to Stone Harbor Point on the southern end to catch a glimpse of a variety of shorebirds.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At your leisure. Consider walking into town, just a short walk from the hotel.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a Jitney; riding about 5 miles. Getting on/off a boat; riding about 1 hour. Walking up to 3 miles; sand, uneven train, paved walkways. Walking sticks are helpful during these field trips.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
This morning, we will set out to South Cape May Meadows property to experience the inner workings of songbird banding. The Cape May Songbird Stopover Project team will walk the group through the processes and procedures of songbird banding! We’ll gain an understanding of the Project’s goals while taking a closer look at how and why songbirds are being banded at the Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows. Best of all, we will learn how songbird banding is being utilized to inform decisions on conservation policy development, species conservation, and land stewardship initiatives. We will depart South Cape May Meadows to head back to the Cape May Point State Park to spend some time with the Cape May Raptor Banding Project members. The group will gather at the East Pavilion for a presentation from the Banding Projects volunteer banders reviewing the project, their banding procedures, and giving us an up-close look at these migrating raptors
Lunch:
We’ll ride to Lobster House Restaurant, a local favorite.
Afternoon:
We will walk from the restaurant and board the Osprey Birding by Boat with Captain Bob and one of his naturalists, to see the habitats in and around the Cape May Harbor and any birds that may be present.
Dinner:
At the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
This evening is free, prepare for check-out and departure after our closing lecture in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Our birding expert will lead a wrap-up lecture. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
Please select a day to update the map
Map details are not available for this location.