Two Cape May icons; a Peregrine passes in front of the Cape May Light. Photo: Jerry Liguori
Each spring and fall, thousands of birders flock to their favorite ridge top, lake shore or coastal concentration point to test the limits of their identification skills and witness one of the most spectacular visible phenomena in nature: raptor migration. Not surprisingly, the art of hawk watching has become increasingly sophisticated; the most skilled hawk watchers are now able to identify airborne raptors at astonishing distances.
As with all types of bird identification, mastery of raptors begins with the basics. The most skilled birders base their identifications, first and foremost, on relative size and structure, behavior and basic color patterns, characteristics that are both less variable and more observable than fine plumage details. Through a combination of fieldwork and afternoon and evening classroom sessions, we’ll focus on making distant raptor identification easier by emphasizing these very topics. We’ll also study the fine points of plumage and structure that distinguish close perched and flying raptors and we’ll discuss how weather and geography influence raptor migration.
Our workshop will be set in Cape May, New Jersey, often dubbed, the “raptor capital of North America”. Each fall, as raptors from all across the northeast head south, they follow natural barriers including the north shore of the Great Lakes, Appalachian mountain ridges, and the Atlantic coastline. As most raptors are reluctant to cross large bodies of water, Cape May peninsula acts as an avian funnel, concentrating these coastal migrants. In mid-October, raptor diversity will be at its peak with up to fifteen species possible, including Bald and Golden Eagles, three accipiters and three falcons. Many of these species should be passing in large numbers, providing us with the repetitions necessary to hone our identification skills.
Although raptors will be our main focus, the great diversity of birds in Cape May in mid-October will provide a pleasant distraction from time to time. With luck, we may witness spectacular flights of seabirds including loons, Northern Gannets, scoters, and Parasitic Jaeger. Landbirds should also be abundant with peak numbers of kinglets, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, and a long list of sparrows including Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed.
Day 1: The workshop begins at 3 PM in Philadelphia followed by a two hour drive to Cape May. Night in Cape May.
Days 2-5: During our stay in Cape May we’ll spend some of our time at the fomal hawk watch at Cape May Point State Park but also visit Higbee’s Beach, the Beanery, South Cape May Meadows, and the dunes at Cape May Point where we’ll see raptors under a variety of circumstances. On three days we’ll study raptor slides to reinforce the criteria we’ve been learning in the field. The timing of these approximately two-hour indoor sessions will depend somewhat on what’s happening outside. Topics covered will include the basic characteristics of each raptor genus as well as the morphology, flight style, plumages, and migration patterns of all raptor species that occurr in the region. Nights in Cape May.
After an early dinner, we’ll return to Philadelphia by about 8-9:00 PM on day 5. Night in Philadelphia.
Day 6: The workshop ends this morning in Philadelphia.
Updated: 12 April 2006
Prices
- 2006 price about $1,170
- Single Occupancy Supplement $250
Notes
This workshop is limited to 10 students and one instructor.