One of the things I like most is birds.

Another thing I like is liking birds.

Yet another thing I like is writing about the birds I like to like. And talking to other people who like to like birds and listening to other people who like to like birds.

There are a lot of people in Cape May who like birds. Nice, friendly people. The kind of people you would like to like.

We likable birders all stand around, very likeable like; happy and joyful, fulfilled and spreading cheer everywhere we go. Talking about birds we’ve seen and liked. Talking about the birds we’d really like to see,  like Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, for instance (which are a rarity that have been seen quite regularly since July 18). Talking about…

Okay, maybe I lied. Sometimes liking birds leads to a small measure of un-likable frustration. Even in Cape May (maybe even especially in Cape May).

This smallest level of frustration, that leads to not liking Cape May as much as before, happens when a bird that you really like shows up in Cape May but you don’t see it.

I know it’s silly, but we birders have this penchant for liking birds we haven’t seen more than liking the ones we have seen.

Isn’t that silly? Kind of schizophrenic, wouldn’t you say? Bipolar even.

You see, finally seeing a bird we’d really like to see is especially happy and fulfilling. Conversely, not seeing a bird that we’d really like to see makes us feel slightly less happy and slightly less fulfilled. Commonly, the way birders find about birds they wanted to see (but didn’t) is while standing around with a likable birding friend who suddenly interrupts the friendly conversation with an observation like:

“What? You mean you didn’t see the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks? They were here for a week! Didn’t anybody tell you?”

Even in a place as likable as Cape May, and speaking with someone as likeable as a fellow birder, this is not a likeable situation. In fact, it really, really makes you have border-line unlikable thoughts.

Right off, the bird you’d really like to see suddenly becomes the bird you’d really, really, really, REALLY like to see more than anything else in the whole word.

Then, there is a less than likeable tendency to want to rip the larynx out of the likeable person you are talking to and feed it to the nearest gull before going home and mixing a couple, three good stiff drinks preparatory to going on line and electronically pissing on the legs of all your rotten, selfish, ex-birding friends who failed to alert you to the presence of the bird that means more to you than life and death.

You know. That stupid, lousy, feathered miscreant that showed up in Cape May last week and even didn’t have the freaking decency to let you see it. Stop. Pour another drink. Damned duck! Freaking damned duck. If there isn’t a season on Black-bellied Whistling Ducks there should be. In fact, they ought to put a bounty on the ugly, harlot faced, scum-sucking little…

 It’s enough to make you want to sell your optics and move to a place where birds are only slightly less common than empty space and idiot writers don’t drivel about why they like Cape May.

Which is, all said and done, a very lovely, likeable place despite the treacherous birds, treacherous friends, and the schizophrenic, bipolar (but otherwise likable) writers who infest this place.

Seen any good birds, lately?

Don’t say yes.

As of this afternoon, July 29, the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are still hanging around but don’t know how long they will stay or when you’ll get to read this. But if they are, the Cape May Bird Observatory offers expertly led bird walks (every day but Sunday and Tuesday throughout July), where you might just get lucky enough, unlike the writer, to have someone pick them out for you. Kinda hard to miss, unless you’re like the writer.

Just stop over to the Cape May Bird Observatory, THE place for anything to do with nature, and pick up a copy of The Kestrel Express, for our full schedule of walks and boat trips. CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day. Ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet. Check out the latest in books (including the newest Bayshore Summer by Pete Dunne – which if you bring with you on the Monday morning walk, you can get him to personalize), bird feeders, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry, clothing, totes, and more. Take a look at the sightings log or our website to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around. And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away.

Pete Dunne is the Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory and Chief Communications Officer for New Jersey Audubon Society. Author of several books on and about nature (available at the Cape May Bird Observatory), he has written for virtually every birding magazine.

     Okay, I lied about the grail business but the rest of it is true.  Who knows if Captain Kidd buried some of that treasure at Higbee Beach – never been proven otherwise!  Even the eagle (make that eagles – there’s a nesting pair) is (are) a fact! When you passed Exit 0 on the Garden State Parkway, you crossed onto one of the planet’s greatest and most acclaimed bird watching hotspots.

     Truth!  Cape May has been celebrated for its bird life for over two hundred years.

     That’s before the internet, before milk came in bottles, before baseball, shredded wheat, and the Republican Party!

     If you are here reading these words, you are standing where about 40,000,000 Americans (and an equal number of Brits, Danes, Dutch, Israelis, Aussies, South Africans) would give almost anything to be right now.

     Forty million Americans?  That’s the low end estimate for the number of bird watchers living in the U.S.  The high end, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsored survey, is closer to 70,000,000.

      Brits, Danes, Dutch, Israelis, Aussies, South Africans?  These are a few of the countries whose populations are riddled with bird watchers and who export a bunch of them here.

      So it begs the question.  How is it that you’ve come all the way to the epicenter of the known birding universe and you didn’t even pack binoculars?

     Didn’t pack a field guide to the birds either.

     Didn’t even plan to go on one of the Cape May Bird Observatory’s regular morning bird walks.

     Until now.

     It’s okay.  Chances are you forgot your travel hair drier and the insulated wine bottle carrier, too.  There’s time to redress that scheduling shortfall.  When it comes to bird walks, just like Woody Allen said, “all you have to do is show up”.  No preregistration.  No muss; no fuss; no worries – and no binoculars.

     Bird watching, after all, is all about having fun (and maybe discovering and engaging some of nature’s most wonderful envoys).

     I’m talking about birds, but this probably applies to birders, too.

     It gets better.  When you show up for a morning bird walk, you won’t need to carry a field guide to the birds.  Heck, in Cape May there’s a likelihood that one of the leaders may have written it.  You can’t swing a Canada Goose and not hit an expert birder in these parts.

     As for binoculars, morning walks come with a ready supply of loaners.  Superlative ones, too.

     Ever looked through a $2,000 binocular before?  At thirty feet, the image of a Snowy Egret will sear your retina.  The sight of a male Indigo Bunting in full sunlight will blow your cognitive awareness back to a brain stem.

    You’ll wonder how you could possibly, possibly have lived

so long on this planet and never realized creatures this arresting existed.

     There’s the answer, of course.  You weren’t a birder – yet.

     Now you know.  And now you are.  The thirty to sixty bird species you’ll experience on your first morning bird walk are just the down payment to a life of discovery.  Over four hundred species have been recorded in Cape May, eight hundred in North America, ten thousand in the world.

     Nobody has ever seen them all.  You could be the first.

     Ready, set…

     Go to the lobby of the hotel/bed-and-breakfast or rental house that you might be staying in and find the computer.  Type in www.birdcapemay.org  and take a look at what’s being seen in the field and upcoming programs and events.  There’s a bird walk scheduled almost every day; sometimes multiple walks per day.

     Or drive to the Cape May Bird Observatory’s Northwood Center.  Admission is FREE. You pass the place on your way to the Lighthouse – and hardly anyone visits Cape May without at least driving past the Lighthouse.  Second right off Lighthouse Avenue – East Lake Drive.  Park and walk in.  Pick up your FREE birding map, birding checklist, and schedule of events.

     Stick around to see the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, and Red-bellied Woodpecker that are almost certain to be coming to the feeders.  Not to mention many warblers species in the trees around the property and along Lake Lily.

     If you want to browse the store, buy a field guide, or introduction to bird watching book, or test-drive binoculars be our guest. 

     CMBO has the finest selection of optics in New Jersey.  And CMBO (and New Jersey Audubon) members enjoy MAP pricing on most models (the lowest price allowed by the manufacturer – hence Manufacturers Allowed Price = MAP).

     But like I said, you don’t need a field guide to help you identify the birds or even binoculars.  Just go on a walk.  Let the discovery begin.

     There is a small charge for the walk.  Six dollars for members; ten dollars for non-members.

     Expensed out, that comes to about a nickel a bird.  Cheaper than chewing gum.

     Going on your first bird walk is a heck of a lot easier than going to your first dance.  You don’t need to know any dance steps.  You don’t even need a partner.  You’re going to find that birders rank among the friendliest, generous people on the planet.

    Not to mention intelligent, considerate, gracious, honest, well read, well traveled…

    And they like to eat and drink and they know where all the best chefs in Cape May are this year.

    YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW A BLESSED THING ABOUT BIRDS TO BE WELCOME. Shared interest, not experience, is the coin of tribute in birding.

     But here are a few tips since this will be your first bird walk.  It will help you get the most out of the experience and make you feel more comfortable all the way around.

     Arrive early (about ten minutes is right).  Early enough so that leaders can fit you with binoculars, adjust them for your eyes, and offer a few pointers on binocular use.

     You say you already know how to use binoculars!  Great.  You’ll learn a trick or two more about holding the instruments steady (to increase image quality) and finding birds quickly.

     Also, if you do bring binoculars and leaders suggest using one of the loaner pairs, DON’T BE OFFENDED AND DO TAKE THEM UP ON THE OFFER!  There are binoculars and there are binoculars.  Just because yours may make things look closer doesn’t mean that they are designed for birding.  Fact is the biggest problem new birders face is binoculars that hinder instead of help them.

     Do ask questions.  Answers don’t get formulated without them.  Field trip leaders are well informed but not clairvoyant.

     Do let leaders know if don’t see a bird.  Getting you on a bird is what they want to do.

     Do keep up with the group and do not walk ahead of the leader.  You don’t want to flush a bird before it can be identified.

     Quiet conversational talking is fine.  Birding is social; bring a friend; bring the family.

     Don’t worry about what you don’t know.  What will surprise you is how much you’ve learned (and seen) by the end of the walk.

     At the end of the walk, take out the check list of birds you picked up at the Bird Observatory (or ask leaders for another).  That checklist is your scorecard.  Fill in the date and location, check off the birds you saw and heard.  Now you have a souvenir of your first birding experience in Cape May.

     That all there is to it.  A single two-hour walk and you become the world’s newest birder.  And since you did it at Cape May, there are about one hundred million birders around the world who are jealous of you.  Makes you feel double good, doesn’t it?

     It’s summer and Cape May will be full of visitors looking for something different to do.  Just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for anything to do with nature – and pick up the spring schedule of daily walks.  CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day but Tuesday during June, July, and August.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, bird feeders, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry, clothing, totes, and more.  Take a look at the sightings log or our website to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, visit our website www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away.

     I mean birds, not birders, but it’s your tarnished attitude.  Put the accent anywhere you like.

     You’re probably afraid to visit the Lighthouse; afraid somebody is going to run up and try to show you the Bald Eagle soaring overhead or some stupid thing called a Northern Weedwacker (or something) whose claim to notoriety seems to be that it shouldn’t be here. 

     You probably can’t stand to scan the pages of the local papers.  It’s almost certain you’ll find another article touting the unique bird watching attributes of Cape May.  Or hit some editorial expounding upon the “second largest and fastest growing outdoor activity in North America.”  Or read one more dull, dull, dull, DULL, dull piece discussing the plight of some sun bleached plover that doesn’t have enough sense to get off the beach when the summer crowd arrives.

     Small wonder they’re endangered, right?

     It’s not like reading the NCAA standings after all.  Nowhere near as important as that.

     Or watching the golf channel; watching somebody else’s ball fall into a hole and care about it. 

     Or getting the latest dirt on all the celebs on TMZ.  Find out whose doing and undoing who.

     Must be painful.  There can hardly be anything worse than living in Cape May and seeing thousands of people watching birds and having fun, if all you are doing with your life is paying attention to what other people are doing with theirs.

     I realize that they aren’t just any people.  They’re basketball players, and professional golfers and Hollywood idols.  They’re accomplished people.

     But (be honest here), wouldn’t you rather do something, anything with your own life (like bird watching) than sit around and watch other people accomplish something with theirs?

     Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that you care if Kansas, Memphis or UCLA are going to the Final Four.  Or that Tiger is back swinging (his clubs, this time).  Or that Kate plus eight is going on nine. 

     But wouldn’t it be a lot more satisfying if they cared that you cared?  More interactive? 

     Ah, but you’re right.  You ARE right!  Birds don’t care when birders watch them either.  In fact, they don’t even smile at the camera, or hold a ball over their head, or try to sell you a new app for your iPhone.  They aren’t indifferent, of course.  If you get too close, birds run or hide or as a last resort, fly.

     Boy, wouldn’t it be great to be able to fly?  You’ve got to admit that it’s pretty cool. 

     And birds might be dumb but, at least if you are watching birds in Cape May, you’ll never be at the bottom of the league standings.  Or worry about missing a putt.  Or worry about the paparazzi.

     You bird in Cape May, you’re in the big league as soon as you take the field.  Yep.  The Cape is that good.

     You miss a putt, who cares.  In Cape May there’s always another hole to play; another bird coming along.

     And if you want to get your heart rate up, try going on a morning bird walk organized by the Cape May Bird Observatory.  It’s great exercise and when someone says “I’ve got a Great-horned Owl perched in that cedar” but from your angle you can’t see it, I guarantee your heart rate will go up.

     Your blood pressure, too. 

     Your brain will squirm with anxiety until that damn birder who sees the bird and you don’t steps away from their spotting scope and invites you to take a look.

     Yeah.  Worse thing about bird watchers is that they are really friendly and generous.  Seems like the sport just attracts great people; celebrities in their own right.

     It’s hard to feel ill toward a bunch of people who are as nice as you are.

     Even if you are sick of hearing about them.

If you are into celebrities, sports icons, or athletic heroes, you can find many of them out birding in Cape May.  People like Michael O’Brien, Don Freiday, Pete Dunne – just to name a few.  Authors, winners of the World Series of Birding, and record-breakers.  So, if you want to rub elbows with some of birdings finest, just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for anything to do with nature – and pick up the spring schedule of daily walks.  CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, bird feeders, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry, clothing, jackets, hats, and scarves.  Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, visit us online where birding Cape May is only a click away.

A new field guide, a new novel by Dunne,
A birder would be happy with either one.
Perhaps a new sweatshirt, or warm fleece lined vest,

So many questions, but who would know best?

While sipping a latte and checking out Exit Zero,
I found the answer; I found my hero!
I grabbed my free copy, and rushed out the door,
Excited and eager to get to the store.

Straight down Sunset, a quick turn on Lighthouse,
For gifts for my birding friends, and even my spouse.
A hat, shirt, jacket, and tote.
Some jewelry, puzzles, and books that Dunne wrote.

So many choices, so many things
Did you know they even have toe rings!

With knowledgeable staff who are eager to help
You won’t have to spend hours scanning the shelves.

Get your list ready, there’s no need to worry
Just head on down to the Cape May Bird Observatory.

With best wishes for the happiest of holidays from all the staff of the Cape May Bird Observatory !

The Cape May Bird Observatory is THE place for anything to do with nature.  CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day – except Tuesdays for your shopping pleasure.  We will be closed beginning Christmas Eve (12/24) through New Years Day (1/1).  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry, clothing, jackets, hats, and scarves.  Too much to choose from – or just not sure?  Gift certificates are available in any denomination – or perhaps a gift membership – or a packet of 10 walk tickets.  You can pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, visit our website where birding Cape May is only a click away.  Or call us at 609.884.2736, we’re glad to do mail orders, too!

Ivory Gull by Dan Haas

I guess you know all about the Ivory Gull, right? It’s the biggest thing to hit Cape May since….

Well since the last new bird for the county showed up.

If you didn’t know that a juvenile Ivory Gull has been haunting Cape May Harbor then you were undoubtedly puzzled by the sudden appearance of about 1,000 birders over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and are still showing up and coming from as far as Oklahoma, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and a guy who drove all night from West Virginia to see the bird.

The white gull with black trim was discovered on Friday, November 27th (by local birder Jim Dowdell). It was reported via all the current internet gadgetry, telephone service (and even word of mouth). Faster than you can say Pagophila eburnea the harbor was ringed by ivory hunters.

When the bird was found again, Saturday morning it precipitated a near human tidal wave of gull aspirants and bird photographers.

I met one photographer who admitted to having taken over 3,000 images of the bird.

Yes. The bird is that obliging.

Yes. The bird is that special.

What makes an Ivory Gull so special?

Well…for one thing they are pretty delicate (for gulls). If you are familiar with gulls, it’s about the size of a Ring-billed Gull.

Also, it is somewhat restricted in its habitat. They breed in the islands of the Canadian Archipelago. Most spend the winter at the edge of the arctic ice cap cleaning up the mess left by polar bears who murder seals for a living (this excludes very, very few bears by the way).

Every so often an Ivory Gull wanders south of the ice cap.

Never has one turned up in Cape May.

One of the other things that makes this bird so desirable is that like many birds and animals whose lives are bonded to an arctic maritime existence, Ivory Gulls are declining. Like polar bears, the gulls are wedded to ice. As ice goes, so goes ice-wedded critters.

Me? Never seen one before (and it’s not for lack of trying).

One of the places birders go to try and see Ivory Gulls is St. Lawrence Island. St. Lawrence is tucked between Alaska and Siberia (but on the Alaskan side of the date line).

Unlike Sarah Palin’s home town of Wasilla, Alaska, you really can see the cliffs of Siberia from Gambel, an native village on the northern end of the island.

I know. I’ve been there. Twice.

Never saw an Ivory Gull.

So driven was I to see an Ivory Gull, I even traveled to Baffin Island. Baffin Island is about as far north as you go before you run out of land. There, every spring (meaning June), Ivory Gulls migrate along the edge of the receding ice cap. The way to get out to the edge of the Ice Cap is to hire native hunters to tow you out on snowmobile-towed sleds.

So we went out. Spent three days on the edge of the ice.

Saw walrus. Saw narwal. Saw polar bear. Saw a million birds.

Saw no Ivory Gull.

So when the call came in on Friday, I was in North Jersey. Linda and I were among the several hundred who kept their fingers crossed and saw the bird on Saturday.

Great bird. Glad it’s staying around. Glad it’s stripper season and it’s got some nice tidbits to feed on. Be neat to have Ivory Gull on the Christmas Bird Count (Dec 13).

If you don’t want to go out and see the Ivory Gull for yourself, and I just couldn’t conjure up a reason why you wouldn’t, you can see photos of it on this website under Recent Sightings and there are some great photos by Atlantic City Press Photographer, Dale Gerhard, on their website at

http://pressofac.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=26979019&event=900232&CategoryID=7628

Or you can head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory’s Northwood Center overlooking Lake Lily at 701 East Lake Drive in Cape May Point where they have some printed photos, up-to-date sightings, and anything else you may need. If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help.

While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry, and clothing. Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around. And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away. Or call us at 609.884.2736, we’re glad to do mail orders, too!

You’ve been screwing this endeavor up for years.  Always buying your birding acquaintances stuff that they can hardly wait to build a garage sale around.

Clocks that give bird calls on the hour.  Ties festooned with an impossible assortment of unidentifiable warblers, sparrows, and birds of paradise all perched at the feeder in the snow.    Books so large they defy an average coffee table to hold them and that are filled with photos of birds the average birder will never see.

Hint to non-birders.  Giving your average birder a book on the birds of Borneo is a little like giving someone the ticket stubs to the Rolling Stones concert they didn’t get to see.

It’s not your fault.  You want to do right by your friends.  You just aren’t a birder and you don’t know what birders really want.

Okay – here it is.  The solution to your problem.

Here are several suggestions that are sure to put a smile on the faces your birding friends.

#1) David Sibley’s new book, The Sibley Guide to Trees
I know.  It’s not about birds.  But birds sit in trees and people are always trying to get other people on to birds by saying things like: “It’s in the right side of the red maple” or “look at the left most branch of the hackberry.”  

Even people who don’t like birds will like this book because, well…after all…who doesn’t like trees?  Cost is under $40.  Of course, if you are a CMBO member, there’s a discount if you buy the book at the Northwood Center in Cape May Point.  Speaking of which.

#2) Annual Membership in the Cape May Bird Observatory
Cut that special friend in on some very special programs and events.  CMBO membership opens the door to a year’s worth of birding experiences (not to mention discounts on everything they purchase – including the walks they go on!).  If they bird Cape May, they deserve to be CMBO members.  Membership also grants access to the Rea Farm birding area (which is private private and off-limits to anyone who is not a member of CMBO or NJA – and if you have to ask what CMBO or NJA is, then more than likely you’re not a member).

#3)  Registration to A Birding Workshop (through CMBO, of course)
Most birders want to become more skilled birders.  CMBO offers one, two and three day birding workshops all year round that are specialized for different groups of hard to identify species.  The programs are so highly regarded, Nikon Sports Optics sponsors it – the Cape May School of Birding.  Stop by CMBO for a workshop brochure or go to our website for details.

#4)  An autographed book by one of the local birding luminaries
Cape May is riddled with talented birders and authors and CMBO has autographed copies of The Shorebird Guide by Michael O’Brien, Richard Crossley, and Kevin Karlson and Birds and Birding at Cape May by Pat and Clay Sutton would find a welcome place in the libraries of your favorite birder (and make you their favorite gift giver).  (We also have signed books by that other author, Pete Dunne).

#5)  Jewelry – Not just any jewelry but exclusive CMBO Logo Jewelry
Yes, we have created our own jewelry line available in brushed gold tone or silver tone.  We have earrings (post and dangle), anklets, bracelets, and pendants (all on a leather cord), toe rings, pins (can be used a tie pins, lapel pins, or hat pins), key chains, and caribiners.  All available exclusively at CMBO’s Northwood Center, and all priced under $20.

#6.  New binoculars or a spotting scope
Sure you’d love to give that special person a new Lexus or Range Rover.  The person who says, at just about every opportunity: “Oh, my I just cannot imagine anyone wanting to drive anything so expensive.  My little putt-putt is doing just fine.”   Uh-huh.  If you can’t spring for a luxury car, how about the Lexus or Range Rover of optics?  Every new birder wants the latest and greatest in optics (even when they say they don’t).  Stop by CMBO.  Ask the store people about the instruments that would turn average birders into envied birders.  There’s more than one make and model and a range of prices.  

If you care to gift wrap those binoculars or spotting scope in a Range Rover or Lexus, they’d probably keep the wrapper, too.

If you are ready to start doing some shopping for gifts or for yourself, just head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for anything to do with nature.  CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day – except Tuesdays (we’re closed on Tuesdays) for your shopping pleasure.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise – including our exclusive CMBO logo jewelry and clothing.  Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  And if you aren’t fortunate enough to be in the area, just visit us online www.BirdCapeMay.org – where birding Cape May is only a click away.  Or call us at 609.884.2736, we’re glad to do mail orders, too!

     I’m not a dead flicker expert but few enough people are.

     What’s a flicker? 

Northern Flicker (in its normal habitat) by Stephan Hoeck

     Oh.  Right.  Sorry.  A flicker is a magnum sized woodpecker.  Properly called Northern Flicker by birders, Colaptes auratus by ornithologists, “FLICKER!” by people standing on the Hawk Watch platform at Cape May Point State Park when one of the large, golden winged birds goes rocketing by.  Flickers are common breeding birds of park habitat and open, broken woodlands.

     Then what were the birds doing on a beach? 

     Nothing.  They were dead.  Death affects flickers in much the same way it does other creatures.  Even a non-flicker expert like yourself should know that. 

     Anyway, she was disturbed by the number of dead flickers she’s found washed up on the beach.  She wanted to know why so many had chosen to die there.

     Ahhh.  Like most problems, this one was based on a misrepresentation. 

     In truth and in fact the birds didn’t choose to die there.  They chose to die at sea.  They flew out over the ocean, probably jumping off from New England or Long Island.  Ran out of gas.  Drowned.  The currents and waves ferried them onto the beach where they joined the natural and unnatural flotsam on the beach.

     Okay – bad choice of words – they probably didn’t chose to die.  They were brought by circumstances to meet an untimely death.

     Okay – another bad choice of words – they don’t run on petroleum distillates.  Their “fuel” is actually the fat that the birds store.  I was taking literary license.  But the scientific truth is that the foundation of the energy in fat, and gasoline, is the same carbon to carbon atom bond whose energetic source is the sun.

     The birds were migrating.

     They went offshore on a good tail wind. 

     They got tired.  They got to realizing that it was a long way until they reached land. 

     They turned into the wind.  Then they lost speed, lost headway and eventually, ran out of fuel.  Ditched.  Drowned.

     Happens to millions and millions of birds every year.

     The reason this person was finding lots of flickers was threefold. 

     First, flickers are common.

     Second, they are migrating now.

     Third, being large birds, they don’t get purred by the waves before they get washed up on shore.  They are largely intact so they are identifiable by live flicker experts. 

     Most of the smaller songbirds (and most flickers for that matter) just go into the old briny and become part of the detritus in the ocean which, in a couple thousand years, might be converted by heat and pressure into oil deposits.

     But by that time we’ll all be using ethanol.

     You’re stuck on that millions and millions of birds disclosure, aren’t you?

     Yep.  Every year, countless millions of birds fly offshore and drown.  About 90% of all birds born in any year fail to live long enough to breed.  Fall migration is the first big cut in the ranks.

     You don’t have to be a dead flicker expert to appreciate this; the fact that being a bird is one great big colossal challenge.

     Yep.  It’s one of the reasons so many people are bird watchers.  Every bird they see comes pretty close to a miracle. 

     One that replicates itself every morning the bird wakes to see the dawn.

     So why not stop what you are doing now, and go outside and appreciate a miracle or two.

Nature is full of miracles and challenges every day so don’t wait another day to partake of it.  Head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO (609.884.2736) is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily in Cape May Point and is open every day 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake, and hopefully the swans, from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise.  Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  Sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds and the view.  If you can’t make it in person, visit our website – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

There’s a saying among devout outdoor recreationists:  there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Within limits, this is true.  Many pages could be written about how to dress for warmth in foul conditions, but here are a half dozen essential principles to keep in mind.

 1.  The base layer is more important than what you put on top of it.  The base layer is the one next to your skin, a.k.a your “thermal underwear,” and performs two critical functions.  First, it creates a layer of warmed air next to your skin that cold has a hard time penetrating, or more accurately, makes it harder for warmth to depart your body.  Second (if it’s the right stuff), it will “wick” moisture away from your skin. To do this, it must fit snugly (not tightly), must be of a moisture wicking material (NOT cotton or wool), and must be of a weight befitting the conditions.  Different brands use different ratings according to warmth, typically along the lines of light, medium, and heavy or expedition weight.  The expedition weight stuff is tempting, and that’s what I wear in extreme conditions (mine is sold under the brand name of MTP by Cabela’s), but most of the time it’s too warm. You can always put more clothes on top, because. . .

 2.  If two layers are good, five are better.  Most people are familiar with the concept of layering clothing, which leaves you flexible as conditions change.  Layers also trap air, and air is a poor conductor of heat away from your body.  When it’s really cold  I have  five or six layers on my upper body – for example, two of the Cabela’s MTP underwear (the second one a turtleneck), then a fleece sweater by Mountain Hardwear, then a fleece jacket by The North Face that zips to my chin, then a lightweight, incredibly warm Micropuff jacket by Patagonia.  Pay attention to layering down as well as up.  For example, take a bunch of stuff off if you are going into a restaurant or for an extended drive.  Moisture-wicking base layers are great, but have limits, and if you bead up with sweat, you will wind up with damp inner garments.  When that happens, nothing short of doing jumping jacks continuously can keep you warm then.

 3.  Keep your head and neck covered.  Wear an inner layering garment like a turtleneck or fleece jacket that zips up to your chin.  Then carefully place a fleece neck gaiter over the neck-covering garment but under your outer jacket to seal off all heat loss through the neck opening in your clothes.  A properly worn neck gaiter adds a good 10 degrees of warmth.  Wear a heavy wool or fleece cap – if it’s windy, choose a cap with some kind of wind protection material.  Consider wearing two hats, one right over the other.

 4.  Warm hands.  Wear Gore-tex lined, Thinsulate-insulated gloves with a wicking inner liner.  If your hands always get cold, drop a disposable handwarmer in each glove. Make sure your sleeves are not too tight, just snug enough to keep drafts out.  Otherwise you will lose circulation to your hands, something you do not want to happen.

 5.  Warm feet.  The base layer is important here, too.  I generally opt for heavy wool-synthetic blended socks that wick moisture (mine are sold under the brand name Ultimax). Plain wool socks seem never to conform properly to feet.  For boots, insulated leather boots are great for dry conditions, insulated pac-boots with rubber bottoms are the way to go if it is cold and wet.  Leg gaiters add a lot of warmth, so I often wear them even if there is no snow.  Foot gear must not be tight – you are better off with lighter socks than heavy socks if they make your boots too tight.  I don’t often need them, but when I do, disposable foot warmers make all the difference on super-cold days.  I use a brand called “Toasty-toes,” which are designed to stick lightly under your toes.  I wear them on top of the toes, which is much more comfortable.

 6.  Buy less, but buy good stuff.  As a general rule, I tend to look at what rock climbers, alpinists, backpackers, whitewater boaters, and similar ultra-intense outdoor enthusiasts are using for gear.  These folks are not shopping at big box stores.  Brands I regard highly include Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, The North Face, Outdoor Research, REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, and Cabela’s. Good gear is expensive, initially – but it works, it lasts, and some companies have extended or unconditional warranties.

     “They’re swans,” the birder said to the non-birder, losing what scant interest they had in the non-birders inquiry.

     “They’re beautiful,” the non-birder sighed, assuming that this display of admiration would endear her to all the birders standing around her.  She couldn’t have been more mistaken.

     “They don’t belong here,” one birder gnarled.

     “Damn swans,” another chimed.

     Most of the other birders present said nothing but their sentiments were similar to those just expressed.  Non-birders love swans.  Birders pretty universally disdain them.

     Mute swans, anyway.  The European imports that muscle their way onto ponds and chase other ducks, geese, and native swans away.

     Mute swans by the way, are the ones that breed locally.

     Okay, I’ll admit it.  Mute Swans are beautiful.  Go ahead and growl at me. 

     But like most birders, I side with those who wish that they weren’t here. 

     Except on the World Series of Birding, of course.  On that day, a Mute Swan is a good as Northern Goshawk is as good as a Golden-wined Warbler is as good as a European Starling.

     Mute Swans were brought North America to grace ornamental ponds.  Then they became feral.  They proliferated.  They now spend their lives monopolizing aquatic plants eaten by native species and chasing competitors off “their ponds.”  Competitors being any other species that isn’t a Mute Swan.

      Mute Swans have a dinner table reach.  They can reach the aquatic plants first and they have enough bulk to defend “their” ponds even from native swans that used to winter here.

     They don’t winter here because Cape May’s large and established population of Mute Swans drive them out.

Mute Swans by Stephan Hoeck

     Still, Mute Swans are beautiful.

     You see a Mute Swan you fairly hear the strains of the Blue Danube playing in the background.

      I have a neighbor who is not a birder.  I told her I could show her a Bald Eagle.

      “No way,” she said.  A typical non-birder answer.

     “Way,” I replied.  “Get in the car.”

     We drove to an impoundment that is infested with eagles. 

     “There’s an eagle over….”

     I never got to finish that sentence.

     “OHMYGODWHATISTHAT?” my non-birding neighbor fairly screamed.

     “What?  Oh that – that’s a swan.  Now the eagle is….”

     “OHMYGODITSBEAUTIFUL.”

     “Yeah.  Well, if you look in my spotting scope you’ll see a white spot set against the distant wall of trees, that’s the ea…”

     She grabbed my spotting scope and after five fumbling minutes managed to focus it on the flotilla of swans.  The look on her face was pure rapture.

      There is something seriously wrong with the world when a lumbering, long-necked bully with feather duster shaped wings trumps an eagle.

      Still, I’ve got to admit – they are beautiful.  Certainly more beautiful than an eagle perched a half mile away.

     Eh.  Different strokes for different folks.  If everyone was supposed to like the same bird, there wouldn’t be 800 or so species in North America. 

     But if it was left to Mute Swans, there would be precisely one.

If it’s Mute Swans you want to see, then head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – THE place for all your nature needs.  CMBO is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking lovely Lake Lily (which has more than it’s fair share of Mute Swans) in Cape May Point.  The center  (609.884.2736), is open every day 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake, and hopefully the swans, from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise.  Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  Sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds and the view.  If you can’t make it in person, visit  us online – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

     You are wondering why people watch birds.

     Okay, maybe you didn’t wonder before you read that line.  But you are now.

     Power of suggestion.

     So repeat after me:

     “I wonder why it is that people watch birds?” 

     Off to a good start.  Continue.

     “I mean…what’s the fascination?  You can’t bet on them.  You can’t eat them.  They don’t roar around in circles for 500 laps.  Don’t have thirty million dollar contracts to do something with a ball once a week.

     Like move it across a line…make it disappear into a hole…make it go over, or through, a net.

Engaging stuff like that.

     So…why would millions of people want to do it?

     There!  You’ve put your finger on it.  How could so many people ignore the engaging (but contrived) joys of life to just look at something real, natural, colorful, vocal, animate, and not even assured.

     You go to the theater to see the latest blockbuster (the one the critics hate but audiences love), and of course, it’s there.

     You go to Cape May Point State Park to see a Loggerhead Shrike (yes, that’s a bird) and they tell you – sorry, you shoulda been here yesterday.  Bird’s gone.

      Of course that’s today.  Maybe you should have been here tomorrow.  No that’s not mistated.  Chances are the shrike won’t be back.  But since this is Cape May, something equally rare stands a good chance of turning up tomorrow.

     Oh. Then bird watching is a bit like gambling?

     Well, yes.  I guess.  A little.  You never know when something rare will appear; whether you are going to have an average day at the table or win the birding jackpot.

     But you still can’t eat them!  Except for game birds.  However, my old mentor’s favorite expression, usually expressed while we were looking at some avian spectacle – like 60,000 swallows all spiraling around or waves of Bobolink passing overhead or half a dozen Bald Eagles chasing each other all over the sky – was:

     “Drink this up.”

     So, I guess you can drink birds.  At least you can drink up the experience.

     As for sports…well, there you are.  Birds don’t play sports.  When a Peregrine spends fifteen minutes chasing a Lesser Yellowlegs all over the sky (and in front of fifty awe-struck birders), it’s more serious than a game.

     Plenty serious for the Yellowlegs.

     But birds absolutely have nothing to do with balls!  In fact I’ve never even heard of a bird playing ball.  Eggs?  Well, I guess if a football counts as ball then an object pinched at just one end (like an egg) qualifies, too.  Times when people used to collect bird eggs.  It was very fashionable back in the Victorian period (a theme that plays real good in Cape May).

     But they put a stop to egg collecting about a century ago.  Anything to do with birds has been dull ever since.

      I mean, at least eggs just sit there where they can be appreciated.  Birds fly away.  Now you see them.  Now you don’t.

     Like life.

     And you know how boring that is.

Whether you are into sports, gambling, or are just plain curious – then head over to the Cape May Bird Observatory – see why it’s THE place to come for all your nature needs.  CMBO located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point (609.884.2736), is open every day 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  If you have any questions at all, ask any of our staff or volunteers – they are always glad to help with anything you need – even things you didn’t know you needed yet.  While there, check out the view of the lake from the wide selection of scopes and binoculars, the latest in books, and some great new and fun merchandise.  Pick up a schedule of daily walks and programs for the season, take a look at the sightings log to check what’s being seen, scan the bookshelves, pick up a bargain from the used and vintage books section, look at some of the wonderful Charley Harper merchandise, or just browse around.  Sit outside on our garden benches and enjoy the birds and the view.  If you can’t make it in person, just go to our website  – where birding Cape May is only a click away!

Seymore Thanu is none other than New Jersey’s own Pete Dunne, Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory and Vice President of Natural History for New Jersey Audubon Society.  Author of several books on and about nature (available at the Cape May Bird Observatory), he has written  for virtually every birding publication and for the New York Times.