About sunrise, about half way down Island Beach State Park, my vehicle passed a utility pole with a stick-nest cap.

I’d never seen an Osprey nest before and, given the state of raptors in the late 60s, I didn’t expect to ever enjoy the fortune.  But in the morning light it was perfectly evident that there was, against the odds, an adult Osprey settled in the nest.  I turned around.  Parked where the view was optimal.  Turned toward my date and intoned, gravely: “Take a look at that bird.  It’s heading for extinction.”

Happily, I was wrong.  Far from joining the Passenger Pigeon, the Osprey staged a spectacular comeback.  Now they are a manifest thread running through the tapestry that is summer along the Jersey Shore, and they are starting their summer vacation right now.  Returning from their winter break in South America to nest sites up and down both Cape May coasts.

Hmm.  Let me back track.  I just did the birds a disservice a moment ago.  I stated that the birds are starting their summer “vacation.”  From the standpoint of being a professional Osprey, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Summer is work time for Osprey.  The six month period when they court, mate, build nests, raise young, then turn around and head back to the Southern Hemisphere (or maybe the southernmost parts of the Northern Hemisphere).

I saw my first Osprey on March 14 this year.  The bird was hunting over the South Cape May Meadows.  I noted my second at Jakes Landing on March 20.  I’ve yet to see one in Cumberland County where last year, Osprey enjoyed one of their most spectacular breeding years ever.

Most years, most nests, you’ll find two young Osprey in a nest.  Last year every nest along the Maurice River had three birds and all of them fledged.

What does this mean?  Beside more Osprey?  It means a big, healthy environment.  Osprey eat fish.  The only way Osprey can get off three young birds per nest is by supplying lots of fish.  The only way Osprey are going to find lots of fish is because there are lots of fish.

Lots of fish is just another way of saying “healthy aquatic environment.”  And while populations of some fish species are most certainly down, others are very apparently up.

Osprey vote with their feet.  Nest productivity last year was a four-talons up sign of a healthy environment.

Osprey are not unique to Cape May, or even North and South America.  In fact, they are found on every continent except Antarctica.  Curiously enough the species does not breed in South America, yet they are found there year round.

It turns out that birds that are hatched in North America don’t bother to return in their second year; i.e., the year after hatching.  Since it takes Osprey two years to attain sexual maturity, second year Osprey figure it doesn’t make sense to migrate thousands of miles just to turn around and go back again.  On top of this, breeding adults don’t want them around.

So second year Osprey stay south.  When they return, as adults, they get down to the serious business of moving their genes forward.

So over the course of the next several weeks, Cape May residents will be welcoming old friends.  Osprey will be returning to established nests and some birds will be nesting for the first time.  New Jersey residents have not seen such a wealth of Osprey in more than half a century.  Lucky for them.  Lucky for us.

Osprey

Bad news for Menhaden but…what the heck – Menhaden don’t read this column.  Darn good thing; I’d hate to see next weeks Spouty Offy!

If you are interested in seeing your first Osprey of the season, head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for all your nature needs – and pick up a free birding map, checklist and schedule of our daily walks.  Or just meet Pete for his Monday morning walk through the South Cape May Meadows where he can personally point out Osprey.  The walk meets every Monday morning at 7:30 am in The Nature Conservancy parking lot on Sunset Blvd.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open EVERY day from 9:30am to 4:30pm.  Our staff are always available to help with any questions.  While you are there, scan the bookshelves for some bargains in the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen out in the field, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars – perhaps even catch an Osprey out looking for a snack.  Or if it’s a nice spring day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for stopping in and being so friendly and being so interested in all the birds you didn’t know were at the feeders outside our windows.

You weren’t birders, at least not yet, and you were just browsing around the store and happened to look out the window and…

WOW…”lookitallthebirdsouthere”!  Birds like Brown Thrasher, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal (more than we could count), Fox Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, to name a few.  We could have shown you a few more species if we’d gone outside but didn’t want to rush you out too quickly.  You were enjoying yourselves so much, there wasn’t much reason.

Now you might be wondering why I’m thanking you?  Well, maybe you bought a trinket or postcard, or t-shirt, or … maybe you became a member … or bought your first pair of binoculars.  Whatever you did – or didn’t do – you first walked into our center and opened your eyes to the  natural world.
All the color.  All the animation.  All the life that breaths life into a landscape.

It’s why people feed birds, after all.  That and helping birds get through some trying times.

See, I’ve been watching birds since some guy named Eisenhower was president.  I’ve seen millions of sparrows.  Thousands of House Finch.  Hundreds of cardinals and towhees.  You never stop enjoying them but you do, over time, stop uttering the WOW word every time you see a House Finch.

It’s a human defense mechanism.  If you were struck dumb every time you saw a House Finch (one of North America’s most common species), we’d probably spend the rest of our lives just standing in one place with our mouths open.

Actually I wouldn’t mind that.  It would be pretty cool to go through life with your brain pegged in the WOW zone of existence.  You know.  Like a little kid in the candy store with no spending limit and no food allergies.

This is kind of what birding is like.  Except sometimes you have to sleep or make money so you can go birding in Ecuador or Tanzania or someplace where birds are as common as they are in Cape May (except they are, for the most part, different birds, so you get a WOW fix).

No matter how long you’ve been birding, you’re still in it for the WOW.

But being new birders (whether you realize it or not, you just crossed the line), every bird you see rates a WOW reaction.

What I’m doing is thanking you for sharing the WOW.  When experienced birders stand next to new birders we get to share the WOW.  It’s not as good as being a new birder but it is darn close.

Are you in need of a WOW fix?  Then head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE THE place for all your nature needs.  Or consider joining Pete on a Monday morning walk through the South Cape May Meadows where he can personally hear those WOW’s you’ll be exclaiming!  The walk meets every Monday morning at 7:30 am in The Nature Conservancy parking lot on Sunset Blvd.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day.  Our staff are always available to help with any questions.  While you are there, scan the bookshelves for some bargains in the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  Pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen out in the field, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not typical March day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

This column is about rails.

Clapper Rail

Fence rails?  Railroad rails?

No Virginia and Clapper Rails.  They’ve been around all winter.  Now they are making their presence know.

They are calling incessantly.  It’s that time of year when rails start thinking about making more rails and this makes them vocal.

That’s right.  They talk a lot first.

What do they say?

Well Clapper Rails say Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah Rah.  Virginia Rails say Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink Oink.  They also say k’k’k’krrrrr.

What are they saying?  Something along the lines of “Hi, Rail with the Right Stuff Here.”  For the next three months or so, marshes are going to ring with the sound of Rah’s and Oink’s.

In case you have a tough time differentiating between Rah and Oink there is an easier way to tell Clapper from Virginia.  Clapper is a salt marsh bird.  Virginia sides more toward fresh water.  If you hear Rah from freshwater, you may very well be listening to an entirely different species of rail.  This is King Rail.

There are very few places where a person can hear King Rail in Cape May.  You are better off sticking to Virginia Rail which is relatively common in proper habitat and Clapper Rail which is very common.

Did you say “how do I see a rail?”?

Oooh.  That’s more challenging.  Not that it can’t be done.

Start by going to a rail rich area.  Jakes Landing Road, for instance, about 30 miles north up the Bayshore from Cape May.  Low tide is best.  A good technique is to drive to the end of the road and scan the muddy banks for a chicken-like bird with a long, thin, down turned bill.  It will be mostly gray with a warm blush about the face.  It will be walking in a slow crouch or it might just be standing in the semi-open, preening.

Virginia Rail.  Good luck.  The birds are found in Pond Creek.  Less commonly in the South Cape May Meadows.  But the habitat in the meadows is getting better and better for rails every year.  Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky.

My own favorite rail hunting grounds is in Cumberland County.  A place south of Dividing Creek called Turkey Point.  This morning there were over a dozen Virginia Rails calling and. . .Lord only knows how many Clappers.

Did the birds just arrive; migrate in?

No.  These birds wintered.  It was a mild winter and many survived.  This time last year my journal was all but devoid of any mention of rails.  The snow and the cold just clobbered them.

Are there any other rails?  Yes.  There’s Sora which is a rare breeder in the county (although it does breed commonly in North Jersey).  There is Black Rail which has just been declared a New Jersey endangered species.  Jakes Landing is about the only place to hear this bird.

Don’t even think about seeing one.  Although a friend of mine did once encounter one just outside the Ugly Mug one night.

And yes, she was going in, not out.  The bird was migrating.  It got a bit confused.

A rail that might, just might be around is Yellow Rail.  The birds breed in northern freshwater marshes, and winter primarily south of here.  But a few birds probably try to overwinter every year.  This year, it’s possible that any Yellow Rail that did try to tough it out in New Jersey made it.

But seeing a Yellow Rail is no easier than seeing Black Rail.  You’re better off sticking to Clapper Rails.  Much less frustration.

If you are still confused or clueless about the difference and similarities of Clapper, Virginia, Yellow or King Rails, and Sora, stop by the Cape May Bird Observatory, THE place for all your nature needs.  Or consider joining Pete on a Monday morning walk through the South Cape May Meadows where he can personally get you in touch with a rail (or two).  The walk meets every Monday morning at 7:30 am in The Nature Conservancy parking lot on Sunset Blvd.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day.  Just ask any of our staff about rails and they’ll be glad to point them out in one of the many field guides.  While you are there, scan the bookshelves for some bargains in the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  Pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.    Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen out in the field, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not typical March day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

Birds just turn up. If you are a birder you know exactly what I mean.

They turn up, because one day they just turn up.  Absent yesterday, here
today.  Tomorrow?  Tomorrow will take care of itself.  What we’re concerned about is the unanticipated but not unexpected bird that turns up to justify your faith in a capricious universe.

You’re right.  I’m making this overly complicated.  Let me give you an example.

So there I was.  Just back from a trip to Belize.  Four hours off the plane.  Figured I’d go for a walk.

Of course, when I say walk I really mean a “bird walk.”  What other kind is there?

So I navigated this particular stretch of road.  One I regularly bird but haven’t seen in over a week and…

WHAM!  There’s a whole bunch of new birds that weren’t there before.

A bunch of Green-winged Teal.  Heck, on the Christmas Bird Count we missed this bird.  Now, there were hundreds.

Birds like Greater Yellowlegs.  A flock of 18 were working the shallows near the road.

And birds like Northern Harrier.  Sure the birds have been around all winter.  But this Northern Harrier was displaying.  Circling to gain altitude.  Doing loops and barrel rolls to impress the girl next door.

Was my displaying harrier then a male?  No, another female.  What she was doing was impressing the neighboring female with the fact that she was a better “sky dancer” and that the dance floor she was over belonged to her.

I guess harriers displaying is less a matter of turning up than turning the corner.  Harriers don’t sky dance in winter.  They sky dance in spring.  And this particular displaying female was the earliest displaying female I have on record.

My point?  Unless you go out and try and see marvelous things, you are never going to see them.  The reason you go out to see marvelous things is because, as a birder, you know that things turn up.

You never know what things.  That’s why you have to go out and find out.  That’s why bird watching differs from watching television or going into the freezer to see what’s for dinner.

You turn on the tube, you know that Wheel of Fortune is going to be on at 7:30, EST.

You go to the freezer, you know that the frozen lasagne you stashed in the back is going to be there waiting for you.

You go to, say the South Cape May Meadows and…

You just don’t know.  Might be a Snowy Egret out there.  Might be a Snowy Owl.  Might be a…

Well it would be very rare to find Vanna White or a frozen dinner in the Meadows.  But you never know.

Anyway, the reason birders can go to the same place day after day is because it’s not the same place day after day.  Different day.  Different birds.  Different birds.  Different place.

Neat, huh?

Unless you are a birder, you think a stretch of beach is the same stretch of beach every day.  Unless you are a birder, you have to spend lots and lots of money traveling to other beaches in other places because you are bored with the old beach and crave new beaches.

Like I just did by going to Belize.  Except I wasn’t at a beach.  I was in the rain forest.  Everyone else in Belize was at the beach.  I know this to be so because everyone else on my flight home was sun burned to the Nth degree.

Yep.  Could have saved myself a lot of money just staying home.

But then, and like I said.  You just never know.

If you are looking for something different any day, stop by the Cape May Bird Observatory, THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day but Tuesday through March.  Stop in and scan the bookshelves for some bargains in the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  While you’re there pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen out in the field, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not typical March day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

Old Books

Books.

Just that.  Books.  Art and wisdom keyed onto paper and bound between covers.  For hundreds of years, it is how our species has passed on wisdom.  For millions of people this technological trilobite is bound to their earliest memories.

Of sitting on daddy’s knee and turning pages.

Of lying in bed, under the blanket, with a flashlight and being ferried to distant lands on a bridge built with words.

Of looking at pictures of birds from all around the world and dreaming “some day, I’ll see a Tawny Frogmouth myself.”

Most people love books.  Some people hate them.

If you fall into the latter category, what the heck are you doing reading this column in the first place.  Columns are just the larval form of books.

But if you are like me, a book lover as well as a student of birds and nature then you should know that not only do the folks over at the Cape May Bird Observatory have one of the best selections of natural history books in New Jersey they also have an extraordinary selection of used and out of print books.

Some of them in great demand.  Some are rare.

Some hark back to the earliest days of bird study.  Some are still in print.  You can buy them right off the shelf, brand spanking new if you like but…

But why would you want to buy a brand new Sibley Guide to Birds when there is a perfectly good one on the used book rack that is priced at…

Oops.  Sorry.  It’s a first printing, first edition.  That’s going to cost you more than the new one.

But if you are in a book buying mood, how about treating yourself to a copy of The Birds of the West Indies by James Bond – 4^th Edition.

“Imagine that,” you’re thinking.  A book written by some guy named James Bond, like the spy.

Uh, no.  The James Bond of the book is the James Bond of Ian Fleming book series (and subsequent movies).  The author, Ian Flemming, saw a copy of the book and liked the name so much he copped it for the name of his 007 character.

Yep; THE James Bond book is in CMBO plastic wrapped.  Good condition, too.  And priced for just $5.

Or, if you are feeling flush, how about picking up the Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 1 through 13.  You’ll have to ask about the price of this one.  Chances are it’s going to set you back a couple of grand.  And you might want to bring a friend.  Someone with a strong back.  The whole series must weigh 150 lbs.

Perusing the racks I find The Hummingbirds of North America by North America’s most prolific bird author, Paul A. Johnsgard ($20); Brian Harrington’s The Flight of the Red Knot ($25).

It’s a collector’s item.  This copy is marked up but in good condition.  Don’t dawdle.

And here’s a find!  Peter Matthiessen’s The Wind Birds!  Originally published in the visually stunning (and very expensive) Shorebirds of North America, Matthiessen later reprinted his introductory essay in…

Oops.  Too late.  The book just sold.  I talked myself into it (even though I already own a copy of Shorebirds of North America).

Books.  One of civilizations greatest achievements.  And books about birds.  The next best thing to birding itself.

Mark my words, just give the iPad, Kindle, and Nook a couple of more years and books like Birds of the Niagara Frontier Region and The Plovers, Sandpipers and Snipes of the World are going to be collectors’s items as well.

Lay them down like a fine wine.  Put them on eBay when they mature.

Beats putting your money in the stock market.  At the very least you can read a book – and hold onto it!

The Cape May Bird Observatory is THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day but Tuesday through March.  Stop in and scan the bookshelves for some bargains in the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  While you’re there pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen out in the field, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not typical March day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

No.  Not Hidden Valley.  THE Valley.  In Texas.  Home of….

Well, what does it matter.  Hardly any of those Rio Grande specialties ever turn up here.

But one of the things that rare birds in Texas often have in common with rare birds in New Jersey is distance; and I’m not talking about the distance between the lighthouse and Laredo.  I’m talking about the distance between birders and the bird they aspire to see.

Down in the Valley, I saw lots of birders.  Lots of birds.  Lots of binoculars and lots of distance.

And very few spotting scopes.  What I want to know is why?

If you are serious about birds, if you do more than look at birds in your back yard, then you need a spotting scope – a reach out and nullify the distance device that confers supernatural intimacy with birds.

Binocular get you into the game.  Spotting scopes put you in the seats next to the sideline.

If you don’t own a spotting scope, now is the time to think about buying one.

If you are thinking about buying one, think about the upcoming Cape May Bird Observatory’s annual optic sale.  The date is March 17 – just a couple weeks away.  The place is about 25 miles north of Cape May at CMBO’s Center for Research and Education in Goshen (mile marker 15.8 to be exact).  The timing couldn’t be more perfect and the deals couldn’t be better.

This would be a very short column if all I was trying to do was get you to the sale.  In fact, it would end here.

But my objective is to make sure you get the best scope you can for the money.  There are lots of makes and models out there.  Some are junk.  Some don’t work for birding.

Trust the folks at the Bird Observatory to know the difference between a scope that works in the birding arena and one that doesn’t.  Your first step on the road to spotting scope ownership should start by going over to the Bird Observatory in Cape May Point and trying on several scopes for size.

Scopes are not one size fit all.

Some have smaller objective lenses so they are lighter, more portable.  Some have larger objective lenses so are better suited for taking pictures through them with your digital camera.

YOU CAN DO THIS?

Yes you can.  It’s called digiscoping.  The results, the images, will blow you back to a brain stem.

Scopes come with different eye pieces – fixed magnification and zoom.  Some offer an angled eyepiece, some “straight through.”

What’s the difference?  That’s what the store staff at CMBO can tell you.  Me?  I’m just the dispatch center.

Some scopes have standard optical glass.  Some have HD (high density) or Fluorite glass.

What’s the difference?  Price tag and image quality.  You can talk to the folks at CMBO about this, too.

Oh, one last thing.  Whatever you do, DO NOT SKIMP ON THE TRIPOD.  You are better off buying a $400 spotting scope and putting it on a $200 tripod than putting a $3,000 scope on a $90 tripod.  Stability, after all, is what makes high magnification possible and the foundation of that stability is the tripod.

Buying a spotting scope represents a big day in the evolution of birders.  Come to the sale prepared and this means going to the Cape May Bird Observatory BEFORE THE SALE (which is why I’m writing this article now – to give you time) to test out instruments and see what works for you and fits your budget.

Come Optics Sale Day you don’t want to mess around.  Get in line early (doors open at 9 AM; people start lining up at 7:30 AM); first ones in the door get first shot at the best selection and price.  Head straight to the table with the bargains.  Scoop up a deal.  Go out and get intimate with nature.

Did I mention you have to be a member of the Cape May Bird Observatory (or New Jersey Audubon) to get into the sale.  Oh?  Well, you have to be a member – preferably with your membership card.  After all, you don’t want to waste precious time that morning having someone look up your membership information to see if you are a current member.  But the folks at CMBO can help you with that, too.

The Cape May Bird Observatory is THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day but Tuesday.  Pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves or pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  While you’re there check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not a particularly cold day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

Birds are nature’s most obvious emissaries.  We marvel at their power of flight; we delight in their colors and song.  But some birds excite us more than others and few draw more awe than birds of prey.  In ancient times these aerial predators were worshiped, regarded as deities.  Today their images adorn the emblems of nations (like the Bald Eagle in our own country’s national emblem) and their names are borne by professional sports teams (Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, even the Seattle Seahawks – guess they thought the Seattle Osprey’s didn’t have quite the same effect!).

Few places can boast the number and diversity found here in southern New Jersey each winter.  Our coastal marshes and bordering uplands are a stronghold for the burley Red-tailed Hawk, the arctic Rough-legged Hawk, the forest-dwelling Red-shouldered, and the elegant, ground-hugging Northern Harrier.

Waterways like the Maurice and Cohansey Rivers attract dozens of wintering Bald Eagles and hardly a sizable woodlot exists that doesn’t harbor Cooper’s Hawks or its smaller cousin the Sharp-shinned Hawk.  Falcons are a common, roadside attraction.

Maurice River

Why is the Delaware Bayshore so attractive to such an assortment of hawks, eagles, and falcons?  Food and habitat.  The region=s wealth of unspoiled, unpopulated natural areas offer birds the privacy and prey they need. It is not uncommon for a skilled observer at a good vantage point to scan the marsh and bordering uplands and find 10 or 15 birds of prey in a single binocular sweep.

Small wonder that people travel hundreds, even thousands of miles just to savor the raptor rich areas of Cape May and Cumberland County.

Like all great natural resources, these birds need our protection and our respect.  The best way to insure that they remain part of our environment and our natural heritage is to protect the habitat they need and respect their right to live as nature has designed.

If we do this we’ll truly have something to celebrate because every day, and every trip to witness these birds will be a raptor festival.

With luck, and a bit of skill and good binoculars or spotting scope, you can find Red-tailed hawk, often seen perched on the edge of woodlands and along highways. In February, adults are courting.  Watch for birds circling close together, sometimes touching talons.  Or Northern Harrier, the quint-essential marsh predator, recognized by its low, cruising flight, and white rump patch and celebrated for its spectacular aerial displays (called “sky dancing”).  In late February, some females may already be displaying over their marshland territories.

Without a doubt, you’ll see Bald Eagle as part of our winter landscape.  Large and lordly, they are most often seen perched along watercourses.

Remember only the adults have white heads and tails.  Immatures are dark chocolate with white patches. And more than likely Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks.  These woodland species are similar, distinguished principally by size (and the size of their prey).  Quick and agile, these bird catching specialists are easily attracted to bird feeders (although they are not interested in seed).

A plus would be American Kestrel since it’s habitat is in decline, so is the

species. But this colorful, mourning dove sized falcon is often seen perched on utility lines.  Other winter raptors you could find include Red-shouldered Hawk around woodland swamps; and the strikingly patterned Rough-legged Hawk, a bird of open marsh; Merlins and Peregrines are uncommon but present, and Golden Eagles and Northern Goshawk are occasional winter residents.

The first step to finding these birds is also the most gratifying.  Get outside!  The Delaware Bayshore is bisected by a wealth of roads that cross or lead out into open marshlands.  Many are paved and a few are serviceable dirt roads.  You can pick up a free birding map at the Cape May Bird Observatory that will orient you toward key vantage points or you can pick up a copy of Birding Cumberland (by Clay Sutton) also available at CMBO.

You will need binoculars; that’s a must have.  If you don’t have binoculars don’t rush out and buy them before you visit CMBO.  There are hundreds of makes and models in the marketplace with hundreds of different prices, but only a small percentage are designed to work in the bird watching arena.  Borrow a pair if need be but don’t buy until you know what you really need (and the folks at CMBO can help with that).  A spotting scope is also very useful for studying distant birds.  Again, don’t rush out and make an expensive purchase you will probably regret.

Warm clothing, without a doubt!  The winds blowing across open marshes gives a whole new meaning to cold.

Once armed and once strategically positioned at the end of a marsh road park and scan the open marsh and surrounding woodland edge.  Your eye will naturally be drawn to low, hunting birds of prey, most probably Northern Harriers.  The pale underparts of perched Red-tailed Hawks will stand out against the dark backdrop of trees.  The dark forms of Bald Eagles will stand out against the tawny backdrop of a winter marsh.

The trick to finding winter birds is often a simple matter of finding open water.  Good places to check include the impoundments south of the town of Dividing Creek (Maple Avenue) and the impoundments near Port Norris/Bivalve (Strawberry Avenue).  Mornings, late afternoons or early evenings are often the best times for viewing.  Birds are traveling from roosting to feeding areas or actively feeding.

Better yet and not so tricky, once you get everything you need to go out and about, what you might want to do is go on an organized field trip with a leader who knows the area, the birds and who will be equipped with a spotting scope.  Rely on their expertise and their quality instrument to get looks at distant hawks.

If you have nothing to do the next couple of Sunday’s, there’s a morning trip to Turkey Point on Feb 19 and again on Feb 26, plus there’s Nightfall at Corbin City City Impoundments on Feb 26.  Perfect way to get your bearings and a few tips for where to look and what you are looking at under the expert guidance of CMBO Field Naturalists.  Just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day but Tuesday.  Pick up a free schedule, birding map and checklist.  Take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves or pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  While you’re there check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars or, if it’s not a particularly cold day, sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

    The other day I got a call from a person who wanted to know, “Where do all the birds go in the winter?”

     “Can you narrow down the field?” I proposed.

     “Can I what?” she countered.

     “Can you be a bit more specific?  There are a lot of birds and they do different things?

     “Well,” she huffed, “if you don’t know the answer why not just say so and be done with it.  I don’t want this double-talk mumbo jumbo.  I just want to know where all the birds go in the winter.”

     Okay, now.

     “They hibernate under the mud,” I told her.  Except for the ones that fly to the dark side of the moon.”

     “Thanks,” she said.  “I knew they had to be somewhere because they sure aren’t in my yard.”

      Presumably the caller’s yard wasn’t on the moon.  Mars maybe.  But not the moon.  At least, not the dark side.

     Why relate this discussion at all?  Because while the caller evidenced a disappointing dearth of patience (I was prepared to tell her the truth), she did show an elevated element of discernment.  She’d noted that there were fewer birds about than there used to be.  She deduced that this must have something to do with the season.  She was about half right.

     The full truth is that there are lots and lots and lots of birds around.  They just aren’t in her yard where she was used to seeing them during the warmer months.

      If she wants to see birds, in Cape May, in winter, she had two choices. 

     1. Go where the birds are.

      2. Bring something into your yard that will entice birds to visit.

     Let’s start with going to where the birds are.  Right now, in Cape May, you will find more American Robins than you will find in summer.  In fact, millions of robins.  Feasting on holly berries; roosting in white cedar stands and reed.

     You can find ducks, too.  Thousands.  Ducks of every stripe and hue.  There is a whole bird hatchery (called the Arctic) that had the whole of last summer to crank out ducks.  In winter, the Arctic is not a hospitable place for birds that like unfrozen water.  So they fly south to someplace where water remains in its liquid state.

     One of those places is Cape May.  So if you love ducks, you’ll love Cape May in winter.  The trick to finding them is simple.  Just add (open) water.

     Now the other side of the equation.  Getting birds to come to you.  Just south of the tundra there is another big bird hatchery.  It’s called “the boreal forest.”  It is this great big woodlot that stretches from Alaska to New Brunswick.  It too, had a whole summer to crank out a crop of birds and many of these birds think that Cape May is a great place to spend the winter, too.

     What?  Oh sure, they like open water, too.  A bird bath with a heating element in it is a great attractive mechanism.  But more than this, what these winter birds want and need is food.

     Many are seed eaters.  If you put out seed, seed eating birds will respond by showing up in your yard.

     Providing your yard is not on the dark side of the moon. 

     Yep.  Seed.  Sunflower seed.  Millet.  Thistle.  Different seed for different bird species.  The more variety in your offering, the greater the number and diversity of birds you will attract.

     There’s lots of books on the subject of bird feeding.  There is even one book dedicated to bird finding.  But if you want to watch, not read, then I suggest you stop by the Cape May Bird Observatory shop and ask about bird feeding do’s and don’t do’s from one of the experts on staff.

      Or, if you like, you can just watch the birds coming to the CMBO feeder.  Cheep entertainment.

      Just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory, THE place for all your nature needs – but don’t do it between Friday, December 23 and Tuesday, January 3 because there won’t be anyone there to open the door.  The one time of the year that CMBO isn’t open is the week between Christmas and New Year’s.  But they’ll be open 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Wednesday through Monday (still closed on Tuesdays in the winter) after that.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736).  Check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, pick up a free map and schedule of daily walks and programs for the season – yes, even though we might be closed there is still info available and there are walks throughout the year – even some in December and January.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

     Pete Dunne will be leading a 3-day workshop in January on Wintering Hawks, Eagles, and Owls; a weekend of raptor-watching and learning (probably some ducks in there as well). 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.  If you are interested, contact Chris at 609.861.0700 for details and to reserve your spot!

    Well it’s December and that means that fall is officially over.

     Okay.  Technically winter doesn’t begin until December 21 but November 30 is the traditional last day of the Hawk Count at Cape May. 

     The counter goes home. 

     Daily tabulation end. 

     Hawks stop migrating.

     One of the above is not true.  Not to keep you guessing, it’s the reference to migrating hawks.  Fact is hawks do not stop migrating on November 30.  They continue to migrate into December, even early January. 

     Why end the count on November 30 then?  Because while migration continues, it becomes more spotty after November.  It takes a good migratory condition to get a good migratory push as the migration draws to a close.

    Like the one occurring now as I write these words.  Clear skies that give migrating hawks the thermal lift they need to get aloft.  Strong northwest winds that push migrants toward the coast and then drive them to the tip of the peninsula.

     If I didn’t have a writing deadline to meet, I’d be down there right now.  Standing under a sky filled with Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks.  Savoring the odd adult male Northern Harrier and Bald Eagle and hoping for Golden Eagle.

    It’s punishing standing on the Hawk Watch platform when temperatures are in the 30s and winds are topping out at 30 m.p.h.  But the rewards are ample.

    This December seems absolutely perfect to enjoy some great hawk migrations through December.  November was mild.  Winds not conducive to migration.  There are lots of birds still up north who may, even at this late date, decide that it’s time to get out of Dodge before it’s too late.

     One of the big drivers of late season migration is snow.  When the first good snowfall blankets New England and New York State (i.e. the kind that stays) lots of birds bail out.  Head south. 

     It’s not the temperatures, but food availability.  A blanket of snow is hard to hunt over.  Rodents are hidden so many hawks go below the standing snow pack.  This means South Jersey where standing snow is the exception, not the norm.

     Other December migrants include owls; most notably Snowy Owl which seems to be heading south in good numbers this year.  Snowy owls are mostly coastal, both as breeders in the arctic and as wintering species.  It’s been a few years since Cape May has been subjected to a good Snowy Owl year.  This could be it.

     What is the latest raptor migrant I’ve ever seen?  It was actually an adult male Northern Harrier heading out over Delaware Bay on January 1.  The winds were blowing a gale.  The bird was flying pretty nearly sideways.

    But despite the winds, and the risk, the ice-colored bird just headed out.  Next stop?  Delaware (or Bermuda).  Don’t really know where the bird landed.

    Ah, December.  Lots of birding opportunity.  Good chances of encountering some really neat birds.

     The best news is – no crowds.  All those fair weather Hawk Watchers have gone home to their burrows.  They won’t emerge until spring.

    Which comes pretty early in Cape May.  Heck, you can see the first northbound hawks in February.  Not even enough time to lose your raptor identification edge.

     Interested in finding out what hawks are up and about?  Just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory, THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), and is open 9:30am to 4:30pm every day but Tuesday.  While you’re there check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, pick up a free map and schedule of daily walks and programs for the season – yes, we have walks throughout the year even some in December and January, take a look at the sighting sheets to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves or pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise including a terrific lithograph done just for the Cape May Bird Observatory, or just browse around.  Enjoy the birds at the feeders and the view of Lake Lily from inside.  If you can’t make it in person, you can also visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away!