Birding Cape May, NJ, continued

Osprey

Sharp-shinned Hawk pursuing a...

Palm Warbler in flight

Don and Michael O'Brien at Higbee Beach

Higbee Beach "morning flight" platform

Mute Swan

Canada Geese

Cape May Hawk Watch platform

Don with Stokes Birding Series "Sandpiper" spotting scope

Red-tailed Hawk (immature)

A "kettle" of Broad-winged Hawks and Turkey Vultures

Lillian watching the "kettle" of hawks

Monarch Butterfly flying past Cape May Lighthouse

Monarch Butterfly in flight

Black Saddlebags Dragonfly

Here are more images from our recent trip to the premier birding hotspot, Cape May, NJ, which has many places to watch birds. In the morning, we went to Higbee Beach platform, a traditional place birders start the day, because there is a "morning flight" of songbirds where you might see hundreds of warblers flying by at warp speed, a real ID challenge. In hot pursuit are the many Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. Don is standing on the ridge next to the platform with Michael O'Brien, co-author, along with Richard Crossley and Kevin Karlson, of the excellent new book "The Shorebird Guide". Michael is keeping the official count of the birds flying by.

Our next stop was the Cape May Hawk Watch platform where there is a constant stream of hawks overhead. In the water area in front of it, there are many other birds, such as Mute Swans, Canada Geese, herons and shorebirds.

In addition to birds there were an incredible number of Monarch Butterflies passing by. There are also migrating dragonflies, such as the above Black Saddlesbags.

So if you want to see and have the opportunity to learn lots of birds, plan your next birding trip to the incredible Cape May, maybe we'll see you there!