birdsoup

I’m writing this post in a motel room in what I call the Birding Capital of the East Coast – Cape May, NJ. Cape May is unique in the birding world in that it has more first-class birders per square mile than anywhere else on planet earth. Pick up any top bird book and odds are that the author lives or lived in Cape May. Birders flock to Cape May for two reasons. The first is the quantity and quality of birds seen in the area. The second is the number of top birders attracted by the good birds. The combination results in the sighting and identification of an amazing number of rare birds. It is an example of the “Patagonia Picnic Table Effect” in action.

I’m here for the Fall Birding Festival sponsored by New Jersey Audubon. This 3-day event features programs, workshops, demonstrations and bird walks led by the top birders in the country. When I attended the very first Fall Festival 15 years ago my strongest impression was the number of attendees – over 3,000. That is when I realized I was not the only nut around looking at birds.

For birders, the most famous aspect of Cape May is the Hawk Watch Platform. The geographic location of Cape May at the southern tip of New Jersey funnels migrating hawks. An official hawk count has been conduct there for decades. The current hawk watch platform is a double decked structure that has room and seating for about 100 hawk watchers.

I skipped out of the formal programs and presentations to spend about one half hour at the hawk watch. In that short period of time I saw 6 species of raptors including: Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Coopers Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson Hawk, Kestrel. There was also a kettle of about 75 Turkey Vultures and a few Black Vulture. Surprisingly, the more common Red-tailed and Broadwing Hawks did not appear.

For ordinary folk Cape May is a resort town.