It’s our Cape May Bird Observatory’s 50th Anniversary
Check out our online Sweepstakes and Silent Auction. Open to anyone who wants to play.
No registration necessary
Sweepstakes
Enter for your chance to win the 2026 Fall Festival Beach Shack Sweepstakes with a total value of OVER $2,500!
Have a dream stay in historic Cape May filled with birding, dining, shopping, history, the beach, a spa treatment and more—all enjoyed through the lenses of brand-new ZEISS binoculars!
This incredible package features a stay in an Ocean Suite for two at The Beach Shack in Cape May (subject to availability). Start your trip with a 4-hour birding walk with CMBO Director Brett Ewald, who will show you some of Cape May’s best birding spots and share tips and local knowledge along the way.
Then, spend some time exploring this incredible seaside destination—enjoy the shops, restaurants, beaches, history and everything else that makes Cape May such a special place to visit. Cape May was America’s first seaside resort and, in 1976, the entire city was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Everything included in this package will belong to you! Items can be shipped to you, or we’ll hold onto them and present them to you when you arrive. You’ll choose your travel dates, arrange the use of your gift certificates at your leisure, and work directly with Brett to schedule your private birding experience.
Many thanks to ZEISS, The Beach Shack, and all of the generous donors who helped make this amazing sweepstakes prize package possible.
Here’s everything that’s included:
Ocean suite for two at The Beach Shack
4-Hour Birding with CMBO Director, Brett Ewald
Two pairs of ZEISS Terra ED Compact Binoculars
$100 Cape May Day Spa Gift Card
$100 Mad Batter Gift Card
$100 Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center Gift Card
$50 Rusty Nail Gift Card
$50 Westside Market Gift Card
New Jersey Audubon & Cape May Bird Observatory 1-Year Memebrship
1st Edition signed Sibley Guide
Cape May Magazine 1-Year Subscription
$20 Flying Fish Studio Gift Token
$25 Ostara’s coffee House Gift Card
The sweepstakes winner will be drawn on October 26th at 12:00 PM, Eastern. A link to view the drawing of the sweepstakes will be posted on Cape May Bird Observatory’s Facebook.
2026 Cape May Fall Festival
Evening of October 15th to 18th
Registration is Open
Keynote Speaker: Laurie Goodrich, PhD, Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Laurie J. Goodrich, Ph.D. Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA. Laurie is the Director of the Acopian Center for Conservation Learning and the Hawk Mountain conservation science and international trainee program. Her work includes long-term research on movement ecology and conservation biology of Broad-winged Hawks, research on stopover ecology of forest raptors, and studies of migration patterns and population trends in raptors and songbirds. As Director she oversees Hawk Mountain’s local to global conservation science program including the long-term migration counts, world-renown traineeship program, and ongoing research on New World vultures, arctic raptors, farmland raptors, and the American kestrel. She and her colleagues work in collaboration with researchers in South America, Africa, Europe and Asia to further understanding of raptors worldwide. Laurie received her Ph.D. in Ecology from Penn State University in 2000 and a M.S. in Ecology from Rutgers University in 1982. She currently serves on the Raptor Population Index steering committee and on the Pennsylvania Ornithological Technical Committee of the Biological Survey. She served on Board of Hawk Migration Association for many years and as co-chair 2023-2024.
Pete Dunne hired Laurie for her first hawk-watching job in 1981 where she worked with Carol McIntyre to assess hawk flights at Higbee Beach and the impacts of human disturbance at the site on roosting raptors. Spending a fall immersed in Cape May raptor and bird watching community was life-changing for her and set her on a path to Hawk Mountain a few years later.
Also, author Pete Dunne on his new book, Under Their Wing: A History of Birds and Humans, and Peter Marra, PhD, author of the new The Atlas of North America’s Migratory Birds. There is also a high likelihood of some other special guest appearances!
So.Much.To.Do
Kick-off Party * VIP Reception * Keynote Presentation
Field Trips * Trolley Trips * Boat Trips * Bus Trips
So. Many. Birds.
And More
Book Your Stay Now
Accommodations can fill up quickly any time of the year in Cape May
Reserve your accommodations today at the Grand Hotel of Cape May, using the Group ID 739979 for discounted rates at: $183/night for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday, and $234/night for Friday and Saturday. Register online at www.grandhotelcapemay.com or call 1 800 257 8550. Our room block fills quickly so secure your rooms today! Please let us know if you have any questions by emailing [email protected].
Book your stay at The Grand Hotel today
Thank You Sponsors
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