Spring in Cape May - May 2026
Dates: May 10-16, 2026
Leaders: Louise Zemaitis & Michael O'Brien
E-bird
Total Species: 149 birds
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Overall Summary
Spring is a time of change. Days grow longer, air and water temperatures increase, and food sources for wildlife become more abundant. Birdsong fills the air as local breeders establish their territories. Migrants continually pass through, many stopping to replenish fat reserves for their long journeys north. Our Cape May tour enjoyed a wonderful array of sightings as we visited the area’s diverse habitats.
Our birding strategy in Cape May is always dictated by weather and tides. As our tour began, heavy rain along the coast meant that lingering in Philadelphia was the best strategy. So, we began near our hotel at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, where we found a nice variety of songbird migrants, numerous swallows, and even a few shorebirds. As the rain moved out, we headed to Cook’s Beach on the Delaware bayshore, where a rising tide was concentrating shorebirds, making for a spectacular show! Hundreds of Ruddy Turnstones, Red Knots, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Sandpipers packed the beach as they feasted on Horseshoe Crab eggs, one of the hallmarks of spring birding in Cape May. Meanwhile, the subtly handsome Seaside Sparrows showed well in the marshes behind the beach.
As the week unfolded, we took advantage of a nice fallout of migrants following the passing stormy weather. We made multiple visits to the woodlots around Cape May Bird Observatory, where we amassed a long list of warblers and other songbirds. At Cape May Point State Park, we enjoyed close views of the Purple Martin colony and even watched volunteer caretakers check the nest boxes. At Garrett Family Preserve, we had excellent views of Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and a surprise flock of Bobolinks. We also made a stop at Louise and Michael’s garden, where Ruby-throated Hummingbirds put on a show, a few Orchard Orioles visited the jelly feeder, and overhead raptor migrants included Broad-winged Hawk and Mississippi Kite. To see additional breeding songbirds, we made a trip north to Belleplain State Forest, where some highlights included Wild Turkey, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Bluebird, and numerous warblers, including Worm-eating, Prothonotary, and Yellow-throated.
To explore the vast coastal marshes, we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon back-bay cruise aboard “The Osprey” with Captain Bob Lubberman. This afforded us close views of a large colony of Laughing Gulls and Common and Forster’s terns, many of which took to the air when a Bald Eagle flew overhead—spectacular! We also saw numerous shorebirds, including local breeders such as Willet and American Oystercatcher, as well as migrants like Hudsonian Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-bellied Plover, and many others. Another highlight along the coast was our last stop of the tour at the Ocean City Welcome Center. The small shrub island here is home to an active heron colony. Our elevated perspective gave us wonderful scope views of many nesting birds, including White and Glossy ibises, Yellow-crowned and Black-crowned night-herons, Little Blue and Tricolored herons, and Snowy and Great egrets. There was no better way to bid farewell to our magical time in Cape May!
Day-by-Day Summary
May 10 - Arrival in Philadelphia; group meeting at 6:00 pm; dinner at Lehman’s Tavern. Night at Home2 Suites, Ridley Park.
May 11 - John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum; Belleplain State Forest (headquarters building); Cook’s Beach; dinner at Blue Pig Tavern, Congress Hall. Night at La Mer Beachfront Resort.
May 12 - Breakfast at Uncle Bills Pancake House; Cape May Point including Cape May Point State Park and Lily Lake/Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center; Louise and Michael’s garden (West Cape May); Two Mile Landing and Beach; dinner at Sapore Italiano, West Cape May. Night at La Mer Beachfront Resort.
May 13 - Breakfast at Uncle Bills Pancake House; Cook’s Beach; Reed’s Beach; Belleplain State Forest (Lake Nummy, Sunset Bridge, and Pine Swamp Road); Saltmarsh Safari to Cape May Harbor and Jarvis Sound on The Osprey with Captain Bob Lubberman, Patty, and Mark Garland; dinner at Freda’s Cafe, Cape May. Night at La Mer Beachfront Resort.
May 14 - Breakfast at Uncle Bills Pancake House; The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows (brief stop for flyover Common Raven); Sunset Beach; Cape May Point including Cape May Point State Park hawkwatch and Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center; The Nature Conservancy’s Garrett Family Preserve; Benny’s Landing; The Wetlands Institute; Nummy Island; North Wildwood Seawall; dinner at Oyster Bay, Cape May. Night at La Mer Beachfront Resort.
May 15 - Breakfast at Uncle Bills Pancake House; Cape May Point including Coral Avenue dune crossing and Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center; Ocean City Welcome Center rookery; return to Philadelphia; dinner at Stinger’s Waterfront, Ridley Park. Night at Home2 Suites, Ridley Park.
May 16 - Departures from Philadelphia.
Wildlife Seen:
MAMMALS:
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) – Seen every day.
Woodchuck (Marmota monax) – One seen en route between Philadelphia and Cape May.
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) – Seen every day.
North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) – Group of four seen in Darby Creek from Stinger’s Waterfront Restaurant on our last night.
Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops erebennus) – A recent split from Bottlenose Dolphin, this species is the common coastal dolphin along the Atlantic seaboard; we saw several in the Delaware Bay off Cape May Point.
BUTTERFLIES
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Monarch (Danaus plexippus)