Another Cold And Windy Day Exploring The Beaches And Meadows Of Cape May.

I knew  my hiking wouldn’t be pleasant when I awoke in my room at the Jetty Motel in Cape May New Jersey Friday morning. The wind howled all night and the temperature dropped down to 33 degrees when I got up around 6:30 a.m. It was going to be another cold and nasty day.  But I didn’t drive  192 miles to spend the day in my hotel room.  So, after making some coffee, I dressed as warm as I could with the cloths I brought and left my hotel  to watch the sunrise.

It was colder , and the wind even stronger,   then the previous afternoon when I froze on my 5 mile hike. Beach Avenue was deserted. It looked so different from when I was  here  last May There dozens of  pedestrians and motor vehicles on the highway at dawn.  Not on this cold December  morning. I didn’t see a car or  single person  as I crossed the street, walked past the Sunset Pavilion and dunes,

and down to the beach.

Clouds obscured the rising  sun. The strong winds kept me from staying too long on the beach. As I was leaving I noticed I wasn’t the only one out in the cold watching  the sunrise. I saw  a man sitting alone  on a chair in the cold and wind. We both admired the  beauty of the sunrising behind the clouds and illuminating them as it did.

As I returned to the hotel I noticed a waxing quarter moon high in the cold and windy skies. 

I walked back to the hotel  and had another cup of coffee. I warmed up and then left again. This time I decided to drive to the historic Cape May Lighthouse and hike in the surrounding Cape May Point State Park .

When I parked here last May the Lighthouse parking lot was full and the surrounding  picnic  areas were crowded . They weren’t on this cold December morning. I was the only vehicle in the parking lot.

As I was walking toward the Plover Trail, I  heard the song of a northern mockingbird. It was one of my dad’s favorite birds, and always reminds me of him and tha he is  always with me on my travels.

After seeing the mockingbird. an eastern towhee landed in the shrubs along the parking lot. This bird also brings back many pleasant memories. We would hear their unique calls while picking blueberries ( huckleberries in the coal regions of Northeastern Pennsylvania).  

and  finally  a Carolina wren joined the  mockingbird. I only became familiar with this bird the last few years but it be=rings back pleasant  memories and I love it’s cheerful song.  I see all of them on my hikes near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.   I felt like they  were  greeting me to southern New Jersey.

As I walked  through the reeds on the Plover trail I reflected on the Native Americans who originally lived here, the Kechemeche.  They were  part members of the larger  Lenin Lenape or Delaware tribe. This is the  tribe that lived in the region of Northeastern Pennsylvania where I live. I wondered what they would be doing on a cold December day, and would they be as happy to see a mockingbird, eastern towhee and Carolina wren  as I was.  I think they would.

It was now partly sunny but the weak December sun did little to warm me from the freezing temperatures and the howling northwesterly wind. It was still very cold. I walked on the trail , and through the withered and brown shrubs and reeds and came to the first of the series of ponds in the park.

There were a lot of water fowl, mute and tundra swans, Canada geese  and a lot of mallard and northern shovel ducks.    swimming in the morning sunshine on the far  side of  the  pond.

I continued on the trail along the ponds.  I finally saw color other than brown and yellows of  their withered reeds and shrubs. There were a  few green American holly trees, and their now bright red berries.

I love these trees and remembered my hikes through the holly forests at Sandy Hook ,  the northernmost beach in New Jersey last year.

Many white berries could be seen on the northern bayberry shrubs  along the trail.

As I walked in the cold wind, a few American crows and ,

a flock  of Canada geese flew overhead.

I came to the ponds on the other side of the trail where I saw this great blue heron.

I also saw  many of the ducks I saw on my hike the previous afternoon. These are mallards.

I left the Plover Trail and  followed  the Cattail Trail.  The trail took me to a bridge  over a small stream. I  remembered seeing many song birds here last Spring and I did again on this cold wintery  hike.

There was a large flock of yellow rumped warblers,

and purple finches in the trees near the stream. This is a female purple finch,

and this a male.

I also saw familiar robin and,

this orange- crowned finch. I only saw a few of these birds, in the Everglades in Florida.

I also saw this white tail deer walking onto the trail to take a look at me.

I followed the Cattail Trail back to the into a lobolly pine, white oak and eastern cedar forest. The winds were strong even in the forest.

Despite the cold, I did see  quite a few folks on the trails.

I took a side trail to Al’s Pond where I hoped to see some more ducks or water fowl.  There was nothing on the pond except a thin layer of ice.

The trail then followed a  boardwalk through the reeds ,

and then continued through the forest and took me to the Monarch Trail, walking past some large pitch pines that I am very familiar with from the woodland near my home.

Here I saw a flock of Caroina chickadess, acting pretty much like their cousins, the blackcapped chickadees that live near my home. They stay very active on even the coldest Winter days.

I walked  through the oak, pine and cedar trees, and back to the parking lot.   Although it was cold,  I had only walked 2 miles so I decided to walk to the ocean

I walked through the dunes and onto the beach.

I hadn’t been on this area of the beach before,  and I  saw a large structure in the middle of the dunes.

I walked toward it and learned from my Google maps app it was Battery 223 or the Cape May Battery, a World War II coastal defense bunker.

It was built in the early 1940’s to defend the coast against German U boats. I walked around the large concrete structure and reflected on the men who were stationed here and manned the two large guns inside. You can’t access the inside of the structure. I learned the guns were never used to engage the enemy and the battery was abandoned sonn after the war. I left the battery and followed another trail through the dunes that led back to the Plover Trail.

On the ponds along the trail  I saw a few mute swans,

  native tundra swans, and,

a lot of ducks, including these buffleheads.  Here is link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw  on  my hike on the beach and in the meadows. Cape May morning hike  birds December 12 2025. 

I was cold and decided to end my hike. I had only walked 3 miles and was going to call it a day and spend the afternoon in my hotel editing photos So I finsihed my hike in the  wind and cold and returned to the Jetty Hotel to thaw off. Here is link to a gallery with some more photos from  my hike on the beach and in the meadows. Cape May  morning  December 12 2025.

I uploaded my photos, worked on my blog, and was then off to do what I enjoy doing after my hikes, I was off to eat.  I drove  through the busy streets of Cape May I was surprised how crowded it was  for the middle of December. Many folks come  to see the Christmas decorations on the old Victorian homes.  There were a few good places to eat and I decided to try George’s Place Beach Front Restaurant since it was not far from my hotel. I had a deicious broccoli, mushroom and cheese omelet with toast and home fries.  

I returned to my hotel around noon and edited photos for a couple of hours.  I couldn’t sit still.I had to go back out into the cold.  I decided to take another hike in the Cape May Meadows preserve to see what I could see.

It was still windy and cold when I arrived. The temperature was  in the 30’s.

Clouds were moving in as I began my hike.I walked on the Main Trail which again took me through a marsh  and surrounded by reeds.

As I walked on the trail I almost stepped on this tree swallow resting or sleeping on the trail. As  I got closer it quickly woke up and flew away.

I also  saw a few song  sparrows  foraging for seeds on the ground,

and this gray catbird scurrying in the reeds.

I followed the Main Trail to the Plover Trail,

noticing these red winterberries,

and  Japanese honeysuckle berries along the way.

I was also surprised to find a puffball mushroom growing this late in the year.

It was still very windy  and cold so    I turned around at the Monarch Trail.   I walked back on the Plover Trail  and returned on the East Trail. I came to the duck blind,

and found this poor  Canada goose in the water. It may have died form disease or old age.

There were hundrends of living Canada geese on  another pond by the observation deck.

I had walked almost another 2 miles. My “taking it easy” plans didn’t work very well. I  had walked over 6 miles in the cold and wind. I was tired and hungry. Here is link to a gallery with some more photos of the birds I saw  on  my afternoon hike  in the meadows. Cape May afternoon hike  December 12 2025.

 I had no idea how  crowded Cape May would be in December. I tried getting reservations at one of the many restaurants in the town. They were all booked. I was only able get a table at 4:30 at the Sapore Italiano restaurant   where I had dinner the previous evening.  So, I headed back to my Jeep, drove back to my hotel, took a long hot shower, and was off to eat again. I love Sapore’s . The food, the decor, the food and the staff. I would have loved to had the company of a pleasant  female to share the cozy and  romantic  amosphere of this charming restaurant. But sadly, I was  alone. 

But I still like to eat and I did, starting with a delicious bowl of pasta fagioli soup. It hit the spot, as the old timers used to say.

My main course was a perfectly cooked, and large portion, of grilled salmon, with perfectly roasted potatoes, spainach and slasa. It was another  great meal. When I finished I thought there was no possible way I could have dessert .

However, the waiter told me the tiramusu was homemade and delicious I had to try it. It was delicious. It was a great meal. I have dificulty driving these days so I didn’t drive through Cape May to see the Christmas light displays.  I have heard they are breathtaking. I will be back,hopefully  with better vision after cataract surgeruy , and see them next year. I returned to the Jetty Hotel,where I edited some  photos, and listened  to the wind howling over ocean. I retired early, since I was exhausted and very full from my dinner. I wanted  to be up early for one more hike along the ocean before, sadly, heading back home.  Hopefully, it won’t be my last stay at the iconic Jrtty Motel in Cape May.

The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. – Jacques Cousteau