About Cape May Birding

Cape May is America’s first seaside resort. It is also one of the top birding destinations in North America. Cape May Point is the tip of the first major peninsula on the East Coast, an ideal stopover for birds migrating south for the winter.

Hawk Watch at Cape May Point State Park

The first official hawk counter at the Hawk Watch was Pete Dunne; this was in 1976 when he was hired by New Jersey Audubon to count hawks. After deciding Cape May Point would be the best location for his count he constructed a table he could stand on to get a better view. That was 48 years ago and a lot has changed. Cape May Point State Park constructed and maintains the current hawk watch platform. The official counts are now conducted by staff from Cape May Bird Observatory (CMBO). In addition to the official daily counter there are staff there who are very helpful, greeting people who come to the platform, calling out raptors and educating us in the practice of identifying the variety of raptors as they fly overhead.

As for Pete Dunne - among his many achievements he is an author of many books, the founder of the World Series of Birding and former director of the Cape May Bird Observatory. His articles appear in major birding publications. If you're lucky you’ll see him at the hawk watch calling out raptors and educating us on what to look for when identifying these magnificent birds. I had a chance to sit with him on this trip and learned he has just released another book with David Sibley - The Courage of Birds

New Jersey Audubon

There are many places in Cape May to bird. I suggest you visit the New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory website to get additional information. They offer weekly bird walks among other events. Please consider becoming a member.

May I suggest you begin at Day One.