No Migrating Warblers, But A Great Day Exploring Higbee Beach And Cape May , New Jersey.
After working on my blog, and enjoying a couple of cups of coffee, I left my hotel, the La Mer Beachfront Resort, in Cape May, New Jersey early last Saturday morning. I walked across the street to wait for the sunrise. The skies were mostly cloudy and it was another somber Fall day 
on the deserted beach.
There were only a few other early risers on the beach as the waves crashed on the shore under the cloudy sky. It was mild, for October, with temperatures in the mid 60’s. I had given up on the sunrise and was headed to my Jeep when the sun appeared through the clouds on the horizon.
I watched the sun rise over the ocean but once again disappeared behind the clouds. 
I left the beach and drove through the quiet streets of Cape May to the Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area. The parking lot was full people with binoculars and cameras headed to a trail that led into the woodlands near the parking lot. I believe it was a birding group and they were looking for the same migratory warblers I came here to see. 
I decided to follow a trail through the dunes, and down to Higbee Beach. 
and saw a northern cardinal feeding on some pokeberries on the way. It would be one of the few song birds I would see on my seven mile hike. 
Once again I had a the scenic beach all to myself. I took in the beauty and seclusion of the ocean and walked on the beach toward Cape May as the waved crashed on the shore.
I walked on the beach and noticed there were no seashells along the shore, just rocks 
and an occasional shell of a horseshoe crab. 
Large dunes towered over the beach,
as seagulls, including this herring gull, flew overhead, 
and others, like this laughing gull strutted in the waves on the beach. 
I also saw a few great blue herons wading in the water, 
this one flying away as I approached. 
There were dead trees on the dunes overlooking the beach
and I saw a few ospreys perched on their branches, 
allowing me to get pretty close ,
before they flew off. 
I also saw this merlin perched on a dead tree further in the dunes. 
I continued my walk on the deserted beach seeing a flock of white ibises fly overhead, 
I saw a few more great blue herons wading in the waves. 
I walked almost a mile when I came to a fence which said the beach was restricted at this point. 
I walked back along the beach and decided to follow a trail up into the dunes, I enjoyed seeing and photographing the shore birds and raptors but I came to see the migrating warblers and hoped to find them in the woodlands above the dunes. 
I had never walked through the dunes along the Atlantic Ocean before and learned so much on this trail. The first thing I noticed were the oak trees growing in the sand. I never knew they could grow so close to the shore. I learned these were southern red oak trees, 
and many of them had already lost their leaves. It was very unusual to see oak leaves on the sand. 
There were also a lot of holly trees,
and northern bayberry trees along the trail. These are bayberries.
I also found these blue fruits on the trail. My iPhone app told me they were beach plums and I searched the fruit on Google. I convinced myself they were beach plums and safe to eat. I only tried a few but they were delicious, sweet and tangy. And I am still alive.
I walked on the trail through the down which took me upward into a hardwood forest. It was difficult to identify the trees because most where covered in English ivy. This troublesome invasive species also covered the ground along the trail, destroying native species of plants, fungi and wildflowers.
I still saw a few native wildflowers in the woodlands including spotted bee balm and
hairy asters 
The trail continued upward and ended on a trail along an open field surrounded by a mixed hardwood conifer forest. It is here where I hoped to find the migration warblers and other birds Cape May is famous for in late September and October, 
I didn’t see or hear a bird on my hike through the dunes and it was quiet here in the woodlands too. I meet an elderly couple of birder and they also said they hadn’t seen a warbler or other migratory birds. 
There were a series of open fields in the Higbee Wildlife Management Area surrounded by trails which I am sure were there to attract the migrating birds to the area. Unfortunately, they weren’t any on my visit. There were a lot of birders walking the trails and I talked to few who all agreed the migrating birds weren’t there on this morning. One birder explained the winds had been from the south and kept the birds from migrating here. I was a little disappointed but continued my hike on the trails around the fields. 
One of the trails took me to a small pond,
where I saw this greater yellowlegs wading in the water.
The only other birds I saw were a few blue jays,
a few Carolina chickadees ,
and, finally , a migratory bird , a yellow-rumped warbler. . The reason I made this last minute trip was seeing large flocks of these birds migrating near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 
As I saw on the trails near the Cape May Lighthouse the previous afternoon there were a many different species of trees on the trails. I liked the star shaped leaves of the sweet gums trees. 
I meandered along the trails and through the fields for a few hours but there was very little bird activity.
I finally saw this osprey perched in a tree,
feeding on a fish it had caught. 
A large flock, or murder, of American crows also flew overhead, 
cawing loudly as they did. 
The skies cleared and I decided to follow the access road that led to the Cape May Canal. It first took me through some woodlands with old oak trees,
and then to the canal
where Cape May Ferry Terminal. The ferry carries passengers to Delaware across the Delaware Bay. 
I walked along a jetty of rocks along the canal and the past a few young fishermen. 
It was now late morning and I had walked over five miles. I wasn’t seeing any birds or other wildlife but I wanted to get my usual seven mile Saturday hike in so I walked back to the parking lot and took another trail into the dunes. The narrow trail first took me through a dense woodland underneath a canopy of trees branches. 
Here I saw some royal ferns,
and nodding lady tress flowers. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the plants and flowers I saw on my seven mile hike on Higbee Beach. Cape May Higbee plants October 5 2024. 
I followed the trail back down to the dunes above the beach,
where I found this preying mantis on the sand. 
I then walked along the scenic beach.
The beach now had a lot of people, mostly families, swimming in the ocean and enjoying the beauty of this secluded area. It is so different then the beaches further north along the New Jersey. 
I walked back up to the parking lot and saw one last bird, it wasn’t a warbler, and I am not sure if it was a migratory bird. It is one of my favorites in the Summer in Northeastern Pennsylvania where it migrates south in the Fall. However here in southern New Jersey, the northern edge of it’s year long range, it could be a year round resident. . Sadly it was the last bird I saw on my seven mile hike. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the birds I saw on my seven mile hike on Higbee Beach. Cape May Higbee October birds 5 2024. 
I ended my hike around noon. I was hungry and thirsty and looked for a place to eat. In additon to my nature hike searching for birds and wildlife I also like to explore the towns I stay in and sample their food. I like to eat. So I looked at my iPhone map and decided on George’s Place Beachfront. I followed the route on my iPhone and left the quiet, almost rural side streets, and came into congested downtown Cape May. I couldn’t find a place to park near this restaurant so I pulled into the first parking spot I found and walked over to the Barefoot Bar and Restaurant. They had stopped serving breakfast at noon so I settled for some delicious mahi mahi tacos and a lot of water. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from my seven mile hike on Higbee Beach. Cape May Higbee October 5 2024. 
I returned to my hotel and spent a few hours editing photos until the Philles Mets playoff game was on at 4 p.m. I am a life long Philles fan and nervously watched the game while texting my baby brother Mike, another life long Philles fan. The game went on longer then I anticipated. I had made reservations at the Ebbit Room, a fine dining restaurant recomended by my nephew Charlie, at 6:45 p.m. The game wasn’t over, but and I almost cancelled my reservation but I am glad I didn’t. I drove in the heavy Cape May traffic again and this time used valet parking. The Philles lost but a wonderful meal eased the pain, starting with a farm fresh salad,
a main course of Cape May scallops served with sugar snap peas, baby carrots, tomatoes and corn sauce with a side of blistered peppers. It was delicious.
And of course I had to try the dessert, a peach cobbler served with thinly sliced apples and blackberries. It was heavenly and a great way to end my meal and day in beautiful Cape May. I drove back to my hotel and fell asleep with the patio door open and fell asleep to the soothing sound of th crashing waves. 
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