Birding at Cape May Point
Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to go to Cape May Point for the day to go birding! It was cold, in the mid 20’s and I was all bundled up but didn’t care because I was so excited to explore the area and see what birds I could find!
It was an amazing day, I ended up walking around Cape May Point between Lake Lily, and the State Park, totaling about 5.5 miles.
This was my first time there, and it was amazing, felt like home away from home! I loved how remote it felt, quiet, and quaint. Reminded me of places I visit out here in CA, between land and sea, with similar low-key naturey vibes.
I noticed that there are starlings everywhere. There are tons in the trees, on the wires, flying together in big flocks… I know they’re invasive, but they’re so pretty!
Started the day at Lake Lily and there were an insane number of ducks… was very lucky to catch the all there when i did! For the first time, i saw a ring-necked duck, which was very exciting and thrilling, as was seeing a gadwall.
After the lake I walked over to the Cape May Point State Park and hiked all of the paths. The bird observatory deck was very cool, and there were a bunch of snow geese and swans in the lake there. I saw a kestrel fly by but my camera was too slow to catch it… and tons of turkey vultures circling around.
Here are the photos from the park. Much of the trail is a boardwalk mixed with wooded footpaths and gravel trails. I really enjoyed the small lakes and all of the wading ducks. It was nice to see a lot of my usual suspects from the Bay Area!
I couldn’t go to the Cape May Point without climbing the lighthouse! 199 stairs, I made it to the top and the view was incredible!
One more visit to Lake Lily because I couldn’t get enough in the morning… I was very mesmerized by a small island with a tree that was covered in house finches. Gray and red ones, they were everywhere! And I finally got some decent shots of a cardinal…
One last stop to the Nature Conservancy Preserve area… very beautiful, not too many birds. Saw some more tree sparrows though which was exciting!
Sunset beach was the best way to end the day…
Overall, I was very excited about all of the birds I saw!! Here’s the list:
Birds at Cape May Point:
*first sighting