Fall Migration in Cape May
We offer two trips to Cape May– one during spring migration and one for fall migration. Both seasons are incredibly popular with birders, and some you meet will be happy to share interesting sightings or bird reports. While many of the same species are possible on either trip, check our trip descriptions to see some of the differences. The fall trip offers the highlight of hawk migration - hundreds of raptors can be seen when conditions are right - while more warblers are expected during the spring trip.
To some birders, September and October are the best months for birding at Cape May, when migrating and resident songbirds, shorebirds, raptors, waders and seabirds add to the excitement of birding in this relatively small area. During this season, changes in the weather can bring fallouts, which mean a great number of birds can be found throughout the area. Most of these birds will be building fat reserves to help them with their continued southward migration.
More details about this trip:
This is the time of year to enjoy the spectacle of raptor migration. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of raptors can be seen in a single day! The hawk watch site at Cape May Point State Park offers an excellent location to scan the skies to witness this mass movement of birds.
Pricing: $2,190 USD, or £1,720 for 6 Days and 5 Nights
Group Size: Price is based on a group size of 7 or 8 participants
Upcoming Dates:
September 14 to 19, 2025
September 21 to 26, 2025
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With so many great individual birding destinations scattered around southeastern New Jersey, you have plenty of choice locations to visit, with short driving distances between them. Several different habitat types can be covered in a few days, including ocean shore, salt marsh, freshwater marsh, field and forest.
Birds
Mute Swan, Black Scoter, Clapper Rail, American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied Plover, Piping Plover, Parasitic Jaeger, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Fish Crow, Seaside Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Bobolink, Boat-tailed Grackle, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and Scarlet Tanager.
Other Wildlife
Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin
Other Highlights
Boat trip on the coastal marshes. On some trips, we may also include a dolphin-viewing boat trip.
