CAU > Seminars and Study Tours > Experiencing the Fall Migration at Old Cape May

Experiencing the Fall Migration at Old Cape May

October 12-15, 2006

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Its lighthouse is known to travelers near and far and birdwatchers gather there each fall to observe masses of migrating hawks and songbirds "in the shadow of the light," as Pete Dunne says. The solitude of its salt marshes is the stuff of landscape paintings. But, in autumn, Cape May is neither silent nor calm. Teeming with wildlife, its beaches, marshes, estuaries, meandering rivers, and coastal woodlands bustle with activity. Herons and shorebirds search for food along the shorelines. Migrant songbirds add splashes of color to coastal woodlands. And among dunes tinted with goldenrod and asters, migrating monarch butterflies drift southward toward their winter retreat in the mountains of Mexico. Since they were first documented in detail by Witmer Stone in his classic 1937 account, Bird Studies at Old Cape May, nearly four hundred different kinds of birds have been reported in Cape May and the surrounding Cape May County.

Exploring and understanding this wildlife gathering place at a most exciting time of year is the goal of this weekend seminar. Two experienced and delightful naturalists will lead us. Robert (Bob) Budliger is an interpretive naturalist, retired educator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Cornell graduate. Charles R. (Charlie) Smith is a naturalist and educator in Cornell's Department of Natural Resources and former director of Education and Information Services for the Laboratory of Ornithology. Bob and Charlie are master field teachers; their seminars and field trips have been delighting CAU audiences for decades. We'll spend each day with them exploring wetlands, woodlands, marshes, estuaries, and dunes to witness and examine the fall migration season. We'll also board our chartered launch for a half-day cruise through coastal wetlands.

Lodging will be provided by the comfortable Chalfonte Hotel, a traditional seaside inn and historic landmark in the delightful village of Cape May, designated a National Historic Landmark District. The program fee of $1,250 (per-person, double-occupancy) includes all meals, accommodations, site visits, field trips, cruise, taxes, gratuities, escort services, and the full educational program. The supplement for single occupancy is $110. We will begin with dinner Thursday and end before lunch on Sunday. Please be sure to bring comfortable outdoor clothing for an active and informal weekend—and prepare to be delighted and surprised by the marvelous show that Nature has in store for us.