Cape May, Naturally is a bi-weekly nature column in the Herald from the New Jersey Audubon
There is no place that I love more than Cape May Harbor in winter. Morning sunrises paint everything – the commercial fleet, marinas, the shoreline – in a beautiful golden glow. Most days, my friend Orlando and I sit by the harbor’s edge at Cape May’s best-kept secret, Harborview Park, or on the south rim along the tiny strip of grass in front of the Nature Center. We’ll share a coffee, talk about the day, soak in the solitude, and watch the harbor’s avian population.
There are the usual suspects, gulls, Canada Geese, and mallards.
Male, or “drake,” mallards are identified by their glossy green heads. Females are less spectacular with mottled brown heads and necks. There are other visitors as well: Brant geese herald the arrival of cooler weather and the departure of summer as they migrate through Cape May Harbor every fall. When the Brants arrive in September, we can’t help but notice the departure of our beloved Ospreys that had commenced their migration south to the warmer climes of central and South America.
Also known as Sea or Fish Hawks, Ospreys are thankfully now a common sight here on Cape May Harbor since their numbers have recovered in recent years. Driven almost to extinction due to the effects of the insecticide DDT, pollution, and illegal hunting in the 50’s, this diurnal raptor has made a recovery that is nothing less than miraculous.
The Osprey, like the Peregrine Falcon, along with the Bald and Golden Eagle, benefited greatly from the outlawing of DDT during the 60’s, and their numbers have been increasing ever since. Who among us isn’t thrilled to watch an Osprey plunge into the sea and fly off with a fish in its talons?
As winter sets in along the harbor, Buffleheads arrive. Probably migrating from Alberta or one of the other provinces in Canada, Buffleheads are a relatively small, but buoyant sea duck with a large black and white head and a short, wide bill. Their numbers have remained fairly constant, but like all coastal species they continue to be threatened by habitat degradation. Buffleheads seem to love the Harbor and large clusters of the species can be observed most days along the southern rim.
I am no expert birder, but I know where to find the experts. They can be found on the Hawkwatch Platform out at the Cape May State Park, which is immediately adjacent to the famous Cape May Lighthouse. In particular, the Cape May Bird Observatory’s Migration Coordinator, Tom Reed, is often on the platform. There are ponds immediately adjacent to the platform and many of the species I observed at the Harbor were also present on these ponds, so Tom was able to confirm my earlier identifications.
Birdwatching always makes me hungry, so I usually entice the Nature Center Director, Gretchen Whitman, to join me for some fresh raw oysters at the Lobster House. After all, it’s February, and there is an “R” in February. Gretchen of course, reminds me that the whole “R” business is an “old wives” tale. Oysters, especially farm-raised Cape May Salts, Stormy Bays, Elder Points and Sweet Amalia’s can be safely consumed any time of the year. Just something else to love about winter in Cape May.
Mark Allen was kind enough to pinch-hit for his wife, Nature Center of Cape May Director, Gretchen Whitman as she attended to a family emergency this week. Be on the lookout for her winter Gardening for Wildlife tips, coming soon to “Cape May, Naturally” in the Herald.
