Included:

• Guided birding for 6 days

• Lodging five nights at TBD

• Meals beginning with dinner on the first night through breakfast on the last day

• Transportation including airport pickup and drop off where possible

• Optics – I will have a Kowa 99mm scope available throughout the tour.

NOT Included:

• Flights to and from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

• Lodging/Meals prior to or after the tour dates: May 8-13

• Personal items such as alcohol with meals, laundry, etc.

Thurs. May 8 -- Arrive in Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

Please plan to arrive by noon so we can meet in the airport for the drive to Cape May. We’ll arrive at our hotel for the week with time to unpack and have a walk on the beach before dinner at a local restaurant.

Fri. May 9 – Welcome to Cape May!

This morning we’ll have a delicious breakfast at the Beach Plum Farm, a 60-acre sanctuary in West Cape May. Afterwards we can wander the trails and look for mixed flocks. Later in the day we’ll check some local migrant traps like the dunes at Coral Ave and other spots around Cape May Point.

We’ll enjoy lunch then explore the South Cape May Meadows preserve, a birdy property run by The Nature Conservancy that can be great for migrant songbirds.

Sat. May 10 – Higbee Beach Morning Count

We’ll get an early start to check on the morning count at Higbee. On nights with good migrant flights and south winds, Higbee can be awesome at first light.

After a late breakfast, we’ll drive to Stone Harbor Point and Nummy Island to look for shorebirds including Red Knots in spectacular breeding plumage. We’ll visit the Wetlands Institute where we may find Willet and it’s not unusual to hear clapper rails and Sora grunting and laughing unseen from the marshes.

Sun. May 11 – Delaware, Cape Henlopen State Park and Prime Hook NWR

We’ll take the ferry to Lewes, Delaware this morning. It’s a pretty ride that can double as a mini pelagic, with Northern Gannets, jaegers and scoters that spent the night afloat. We’ll visit the pine barrens of the Cape Henlopen State Park, the northern limit of the Brown-headed Nuthatch’s breeding range.

After lunch in the historic downtown area, we’ll make the short drive north to Prime Hook to walk the boardwalks. Our afternoon return on the ferry will give us another chance to spot seabirds, then we’ll find a nice spot for dinner after a full day of birding!

Mon. May 12 – Brigantine and Avalon Sea Watch

This morning we’ll drive north to the Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, a legendary birding location with both fresh and saltwater marshes that hold ducks, geese, herons, egrets and 20+ species of shorebirds. Eagles, Osprey and falcons are often in the mix, and we may find Savannah, White-crowned, Swamp, Song, Nelson’s, Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows too.

We’ll break for lunch and then visit the Avalon Sea Watch where we will likely find many shorebirds, gulls and terns. It’s possible to spot Northern Gannets from shore here. If there’s time, we can stop by the hawkwatch platform for a few minutes before we get ready for dinner.

Tues. May 13 – Departures

After breakfast we’ll pack up for the drive to the Philadelphia Airport. On the way, we may have time for a quick stop at Moores Beach or Heislerville to get some final birding in. Afternoon departures from PHL.

Please read through Rocky Mountain Birding terms and conditions here.