Fall 2025 Cape May Field Trip Recap

Photo: Cape May Lighthouse, Alan Kotock via Pixabay

McKenzie Ingram

Driving to Cape May. Photo: Ajani Simmons

Saturday morning was anything but cozy, sleepy, fall vibes for our birders chasing the thrill of fall migration. 22 birders, including experienced guides Tom Wood, Herlitz Davis, and Judy Gallagher in tow, awoke before sunrise, loaded into vans, and began our journey from Northern Virginia to Cape May, NJ! Our eyes were set on this far away destination because of its geography. This peninsula is perfectly aligned with the Atlantic Flyway, one of the four “avian superhighways” in North America, making it a world-renowned birding hotspot. 

Our group after arriving in Cape May via the ferry. Photo: Ajani Simmons

After our drive from Virginia, we crossed into New Jersey from Delaware via the Cape May–Lewes Ferry, which offered scenic views and unique birding opportunities along the way. Aboard the ferry, we saw Laughing Gulls, Forster's Terns, a pair of Brown Pelicans, and many other water-loving birds. Many species are in their non-breeding plumage this time of year, making identification trickier but rewarding.

Cape May Lighthouse. Photo: McKenzie Ingram

Once in Cape May, we hurried to the nearby Cape May Point State Park , where we enjoyed a quick lunch before an afternoon of birding fun under the observation of the nearby 157-foot-tall Cape May Lighthouse which has overlooked the entire peninsula since it was first lit in 1859. 

When you hear “fall migrants” one might expect to only see avian migrants such as warblers, the infamously colorful tiny birds that flood the skies on their migrations every spring and fall. However, a plethora of species are also on their way to warmer temperatures or waters this time of year - something we quickly learned during our time at the park. At Cape May Point, Monarch butterflies and dragonflies stop briefly in the park along their migration to gain their strength before crossing the Delaware Bay. 

Monarch butterfly sporting a band. Photo: Jenn Crawford

These Monarch butterflies are part of what researchers call “the monarch super generation.” Unlike their close relatives, these monarchs' reproductive cycles are on hold. They do not complete their life cycle in a mere four weeks, and they are migrating south, the opposite of what their parents or grandparents did. Some fly over fifty miles a day on their way to their winter homes in Mexico! Some guests even had the pleasure of watching a butterfly banding demonstration provided by the Monarch Monitoring Project while visiting the park. 

This monitoring project is hosted under the Cape May Bird Observatory (CMBO) founded in 1976 by NJ Audubon. The CMBO is a beacon for migratory species research such as annual counts, censuses of species, and other environmental education projects. For instance, the park’s nearby Cape May Hawkwatch, is one of many birding attractions that also conducts  conservation-driven studies through the CMBO. We were especially grateful for the expert advice given by the seasonal naturalist hired by NJ Audubon. The naturalist happily answered our questions and aided us in bird identification. On the platform we saw a male Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrels, and a Peregrine Falcon, among others. 

Sea Shells of the World exhibit at the CMBO Nature Center. Photo: McKenzie Ingram

The park’s Nature Center and Museum provided us with more educational opportunities such as seashell exhibits, live reptiles, and other information relevant to visitors. Onsite there were several trails for us to take that gave up-close views of woodland habitats, marshlands, ponds, beaches, dunes, and other habitats critical for migrants. One group even saw a Black Snake consuming a juvenile squirrel on the side of the trail. While the snake was enjoying his meal, the nest of squirrels made warning calls from the pine tree above, making this an especially memorable sighting. 

After leaving Cape May Point State Park, we traveled up to Ocean City, NJ where we enjoyed dinner at the nearby boardwalk full of Saltwater taffy shops and attractions before calling it an early night.  

The next morning we drove back down to the Avalon Seawatch. This site was chosen by NJ Audubon for its location because the northern tip of Avalon extends a mile farther out into the ocean than the coastline to the north. Southbound seabirds that are following the coastline pass very close to this beachfront. According to their webpage, there are an average of almost 800,000 seabirds counted here annually, with around 70% of all the migrant seabirds passing in a mere five week period in the fall.

Avalon Seawatch. Photo: McKenzie Ingram

On day two we were accompanied by another seasonal naturalist and local guides who are experts in identifying both local and migrant species that frequent Avalon. While there, we watched Royal Terns fly above the water while about seventy Sanderlings sat on the jetty, completely exhausted from their latest leg of their migration journey.

Here our guide Judy discussed the importance of coastal marshlands and shared her knowledge on the highly invasive marsh reed known as Phragmites australis, that line the trails and beaches we visited almost the entire journey. 

Our guide Judy Gallagher addressing the group at Avalon Seawatch. Photo: McKenzie Ingram

Our next stop was the 200-acre South Cape May Meadows preserve established by the Nature Conservancy. Along the one-mile trail loop, we saw several fall migrants such as Common Yellowthroats, Gray Catbirds, Ospreys, and more. Along the way our guides shared detailed identification tips while local guides provided historical information on the restoration projects in the region. 

For our final stop, we made our way to the CMBO Northwood Center. Here there is a plethora of field guides from around the world, birding books, spotting scopes, binoculars of all kinds, and other birding goodies available for purchase to fundraise for such programs and projects.  

From here, the group rode back across the Delaware Bay to catch last glimpses of seabirds and ponder the many brilliant sights we left behind in NJ. 

This trip was made possible in part to the Virginia Department of Wildlife and grant funding provided to support new birders enjoying the nature around us. As a result of that program, over half of our group were new birders who have never had a chance to see a migration hotspot. 

At the trip’s conclusion, we spotted over forty species of birds. These species, along with the butterflies, plants, and everything in between, reminded us that even in the midst of life’s biggest journeys, some more challenging than we ever anticipated, there are still many moments of connection, amazement, community, humor, joy, and more to look forward to. And that, to me, is what made our Fall Field Trip to Cape May, NJ truly special.

The 2025 NVBA Cape May crew. Photo: Tom Woods

ASNV’s Trip to Cape May, New Jersey

Photo: Sanderling, Ron Grimes

Andreana Lin

On the weekend of October 7-8, 24 birders traveled with ASNV to Cape May, New Jersey, a prime spot for birders, for an adventure witnessing fall migration. Board member and George Mason University Professor Tom Wood, Adult Education Committee member Larry Meade, and Northern Virginia Community College Professor Herlitz Davis led the trip. 

Cape May is one of the best places in North America to witness fall migration. It is a world-renowned destination, and birders flock here to witness a natural history phenomenon of ancient origin. The first half of October is a good time to see a variety of species accumulate on the southern end of this New Jersey coastal peninsula, preparing to cross the Delaware Bay on their journey south. Hawks, passerines, shorebirds, and waterfowl all make the journey, and, under the right weather conditions, can be seen in abundance. 

ASNV birders watching migrating birds from the hawkwatch platform, Andreana Lin. 

Our group traveled together in vans from Fairfax to the ferry terminal in Lewes, Delaware, where the adventure began. We were able to sharpen our gull identification skills from the wharf and on the ferry as we crossed the Delaware Bay to Cape May. Upon landing in Cape May, we drove a short way to the Cape May Hawkwatch. The watch platform was full of birders, and together we observed Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Bald Eagles, American Kestrels, White Ibises, and much, much more streaming south. We also walked the local trails and observed huge flocks of staging Tree Swallows fueling up on bayberries for their strenuous flight ahead. As happens most years, there was a displaced Eurasian Wigeon among a mixed group of waterfowl. 

A tagged monarch butterfly ready for release, Scott Ableman

A public demonstration at the hawkwatch pavilion gave us the chance to observe New Jersey Audubon releasing tagged monarch butterflies as part of its Monarch Monitoring Project.

At the end of this successful day of observing nature at its best, we made a stop at the Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center, a must-stop-shop for birders and wildlife lovers alike with a wide variety of scopes, binocular accessories, bird feeders, pollinator hotels, field wear, and nature-themed books.        

Inside the Northwood Center, Tom Wood

Bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, the Avalon Seawatch is famous for its spectacular migratory bird count, averaging nearly 800,000 seabirds each year. Photo: Andreana Lin

Day 2 of the trip brought us to the Avalon Seawatch bright and early in the morning. We walked around the beach to the official Seawatch observatory, spotting Laughing Gulls, Caspian Terns, Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, a Parasitic Jaegar, Forster’s Terns, Green-winged Teal, and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Conspicuously late this year, we did not see any Surf or Black Scoters that are often counted in the thousands per day mid-October. 

Dolphin calf swimming with its mother. Photo: Austin & Haocong Ren.

The Avalon Seawatch also is a good location for watching dolphins, and we were treated to the sight of a bottlenose dolphin with her calf.

Our morning on the beach passed quickly, and soon it was time to leave. We brushed the sand off our boots and headed back to Cape May. Back at the hawkwatch, we saw more Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks and observed raptor banding at the pavilion. 

The Nature Conservancy’s pollinator garden, Andreana Lin

Our final stop before returning home was at South Cape May Meadows. This was a special stop because of the tremendous conservation value of the land The Nature Conservancy has preserved. Its conservation projects there include stopover banding for passerines in the fall. This banding station provides data demonstrating the importance of intact natural habitat where birds can rest and refuel during migration. Skilled banders gave us a close look as they gently released Common Yellowthroats and a female Indigo Bunting caught toward the end of the day’s banding session.

After the songbird banding demonstration, we explored one of the meadow’s trails, adding a few more species to the record for our trip. You can see the complete list of sightings for the trip here.

Judy Gallagher, ASNV board member and regular contributor to the Potomac Flier, said it best: “The joy you get from discovering something new—that's the best part about trips like this.”

ASNV Cape May trip participants