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Cape May County,
New Jersey
Birding and Butterflies
The delicate but determined
Monarch butterflies flutter into Cape May County
every fall, followed by nearly as many
eco-tourists anxious to watch these delicate
creatures pause exquisitely on swaying stalks of
milkweed.
No one fully understands the
mystery of why the Monarchs migrate south to
California, Florida and central Mexico, but
anyone who steps into an autumn morning and sees
hundreds of Monarchs clustered on cedar trees
will gasp with amazement at the sight of so many
orange and black butterflies resting from their
flight. By midday, warmed by the sun, the
Monarchs will have resumed their travels. In
addition to the colorful Monarchs, over a
hundred other species of butterflies visit Cape
May, usually between August and October.
The Jersey Cape with its
peninsular geography, westerly winds and diverse
habitats creates a hospitable environment for
birds and butterflies to rest, feed and gather
strength before continuing their migration.
From September through November, Cape May County
hosts hundreds of different species of birds,
dragonflies, butterflies and the visitors who
enjoy watching them.
Visitors to the Cape May and
Cape May Point area can spot scores of birds and
butterflies throughout the fall as they migrate
south. The hawk viewing platform at Cape
May Point State Park regularly hosts 100,000
visitors each season and the meadows between
Cape May and Cape May Point is a prime place
to see dozens of egrets gathered there during
their annual migration. Egrets remain in
the Cape May County area from March to September
although some will winter over in mild weather
and the meadow area is a popular living and
feeding spot for the beautiful birds.
Egrets, with their snowy
white plumage, abound throughout the county,
perched in shallow water searching for their
next meal. Members of the heron family, the
egrets are territorial birds and form colonies
during breeding season. For the novice,
snowy egrets are a wonderful introduction to the
world of bird watching. They are attractive,
large and easy to spot with black bill and
bright yellow legs. The Southern New
Jersey area is also home to cattle egrets and
great egrets who have showy plumes on their
backs during mating times.
Anyone who doubts Cape May
County's claim as a major birding site can check
the statistics from the annual World Series of
Birding -- last year 259 species were sighted
and as many as 400 species of birds have been
seen in the Cape May area. Both novice and
experienced bird watchers can enjoy guided
tours, programs and other special events offered
by Cape May Bird Observatory in Cape May Point
or Cape May Court House. Most workshops
are intensive and coincide with the peak times
for the numbers and diversity of species.
Each workshop includes several days of outdoor
bird study, field trips to key spots around the
county and entertaining lectures. The Cape May
Bird Observatory maintains a birding hotline
(609-884-2626) for up-to-the-minute birding
information.
For both amateur and serious
eco-tourists, fall is the perfect time to visit
Cape May County. Binoculars replace
bikinis, cameras are more important than beach
chairs. Cape May Point is probably the premier
area for both bird and butterfly watchers but
there are plenty of other spots around the
county where eco-tourists of every age can
marvel in the diverse wildlife of southern New
Jersey.
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