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Birding
Events for August 25, 2026
Shorebirds with the Man Who Wrote the Book
Spend two days experiencing some of the east coast's best shorebirding with Michael O'Brien, one of the authors of "The Shorebird Guide"! The Shorebird Guide, Houghton Mifflin’s landmark title on the subject, is authored by three Cape May birders and your guide for this workshop is one of them. Experience the best shorebirding on the East Coast with Michael O’Brien, equal parts skilled birder, expert guide and superb teacher. We’ll search South Jersey’s best shorebird locations in search of sandpipers, plovers, yellowlegs, and hope to find a few other gems such as phalaropes or godwits. Over 25 plover and sandpiper species are within reach, and some species number in the thousands here at this time of year. Begin learning identification by size, shape, behavior and voice, then move on to careful examination of plumage details, as The Shorebird Guide outlines. We don’t pre-set an itinerary but will visit those parts of Cape May County that regularly hold good numbers of birds at this time of year. Final location decisions will be made by the leader, based on local knowledge and conditions at the time. We may walk up to 1.5 miles, over generally level, sometimes muddy or sandy terrain. This workshop may also include an indoor session, depending on weather and birds on the day. PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED - Ticket sales end 24hrs before the start of the event COST: $175 members, $225 nonmembers. Interested in becoming a member? Please click on the following link to learn more or join: Become a Member today! IMPORTANT INFORMATION: We bird in all weather. Be sure to check the forecast in advance and dress in layers appropriate for prevailing weather conditions. The weather in Cape May can differ considerably from nearby inland areas and may be warmer, colder, or windier so it’s best to be over prepared. We may have to bird in the rain, so please bring your rain gear. TRANSPORTATION: Please arrive at the appointed time with a full tank of gas, as transportation to field sites is by private vehicles. We may walk up to 1.5 miles, over generally level, sometimes muddy or sandy terrain. Some trips involve walks over jetties. CANCELLATION: CMBO programs require a minimum number of registrants to run, five days in advance of the start of the tour but are seldom cancelled. If we do cancel, due to lack of participation, severe weather, or unforeseen circumstances, we notify all participants in advance, and all are eligible for a full credit or refund. Participants may cancel without penalty if greater than 30 days in advance. Cancellations 10 to 30 days in advance may be subject to a 25% service charge. No refunds or credits for cancellations less than ten days in advance unless due to health emergencies REGISTER HERE
Birding Northwood and Beyond
Cape May Bird Observatory - Northwood Center 701 East Lake Drive, Cape May PointJoin CMBO naturalists for this casual 2-hour walk around CMBO's Northwood Center and nearby Lily Lake! The wooded streets around Northwood are warbler magnets when migration is right, but there’s so much more to see. Join a casual walk with our associate Naturalists as they track down songbirds, swallows, waterfowl, raptors, and much more. The exact route will vary based on what’s happening that day! PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED. COST: $8 members, $12 nonmembers. Interested in becoming a member? Please click on the following link to learn more or join: Become a Member today! IMPORTANT INFORMATION: We bird in all weather. Be sure to check the forecast in advance and dress in layers appropriate for prevailing weather conditions. The weather in Cape May can differ considerably from nearby inland areas and may be warmer, colder, or windier so it’s best to be over prepared. We may have to bird in the rain, so please bring your rain gear. TRANSPORTATION: We may walk up to 1.5 miles, over generally level, sometimes muddy or sandy terrain. Some trips involve walks over jetties. CANCELLATION: NJ Audubon’s CMBO programs are virtually never cancelled. If we cancel, due to lack of participation, severe weather, or unforeseen circumstances, all participants will be notified as soon as possible and are eligible for a full refund. Participants may cancel without penalty if greater than 48 hours in advance. Sorry, no refund for cancellations less than 48 hours in advance unless due to health emergencies; however, registrations can be transferred to another program in the future. REGISTER HERE
Bombay Hook Shorebirding
Two days of summer shorebirding at this regional hotspot. We should see lots of plovers, sandpipers, wading birds, and terns. Experience the second wave of southbound migrating shorebirds in central Delaware—a place with a different species mix than locations like Cape May or Brigantine. This two-day trip offers an excellent opportunity to study a wide variety of shorebirds, herons, and terns. Mixed species flocks of shorebirds—often at close range and in juvenile and adult plumages, provide participants with a chance to learn subtleties of sandpiper identification. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 15,978 acres and has one of the largest expanses of nearly unaltered salt marsh in the mid-Atlantic, plus over 1,100 acres of freshwater impoundments. We’ll complement our tour with visits to other noteworthy sites that may include Little Creek WMA, Port Mahon, and Woodland Beach WMA, dependent current water levels. This trip should tally 20+ species of shorebirds (often including several hundred American Avocets), large numbers of long-legged waders, and other surprises. Species we should encounter include American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Western Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Caspian and Black Terns. We could see some less-common to rare shorebirds like Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, and Wilson’s Phalarope. The area is a magnet for rare birds as well, with past trips recording goodies like White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Black-headed Gull, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Sedge Wren. Led by Scott Barnes, Linda Mack, and Carole Hughes. MEETING LOCATION: Meet at Bombay Hook NWR Headquarters, 2591 Whitehall Neck Road, Smyrna, Delaware, 19977 PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED COST: 2-day ticket $100 Members, $150 Non-members, 1-day ticket $50 Members, $60 Non-members WEATHER & TRANSPORTATION: Please arrive at the appointed time. Be sure to check the forecast in advance and dress in layers appropriate for prevailing weather conditions. We sometimes bird in the rain, so bring rain gear if warranted. Transportation during the field trip is by private vehicle (be sure you have enough gas). Most trips involve some amount of walking, sometimes through muddy or sandy terrain. CANCELLATION: NJA/CMBO programs require a minimum number of registrants to run, five days in advance of the start of the tour but are seldom cancelled. If we do cancel, due to lack of participation, severe weather, or unforeseen circumstances, we notify all participants in advance, and all are eligible for a full credit or refund. Participants may cancel without penalty if greater than 30 days in advance. Cancellations 10 to 30 days in advance may be subject to a 25% service charge. No refunds or credits for cancellations less than ten days in advance unless due to health emergencies. REGISTER HERE
Birding Northwood and Beyond
Cape May Bird Observatory - Northwood Center 701 East Lake Drive, Cape May PointJoin CMBO naturalists for this casual 2-hour walk around CMBO's Northwood Center and nearby Lily Lake! The wooded streets around Northwood are warbler magnets when migration is right, but there’s so much more to see. Join a casual walk with our associate Naturalists as they track down songbirds, swallows, waterfowl, raptors, and much more. The exact route will vary based on what’s happening that day! PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED. COST: $8 members, $12 nonmembers. Interested in becoming a member? Please click on the following link to learn more or join: Become a Member today! IMPORTANT INFORMATION: We bird in all weather. Be sure to check the forecast in advance and dress in layers appropriate for prevailing weather conditions. The weather in Cape May can differ considerably from nearby inland areas and may be warmer, colder, or windier so it’s best to be over prepared. We may have to bird in the rain, so please bring your rain gear. TRANSPORTATION: We may walk up to 1.5 miles, over generally level, sometimes muddy or sandy terrain. Some trips involve walks over jetties. CANCELLATION: NJ Audubon’s CMBO programs are virtually never cancelled. If we cancel, due to lack of participation, severe weather, or unforeseen circumstances, all participants will be notified as soon as possible and are eligible for a full refund. Participants may cancel without penalty if greater than 48 hours in advance. Sorry, no refund for cancellations less than 48 hours in advance unless due to health emergencies; however, registrations can be transferred to another program in the future. REGISTER HERE