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The concierge
My Perfect Cape May Day Colleen Buckley Vice President of Marketing for Cape Resorts Group Given that I spend half my time in New York City, I appreciate the quality time I get to spend in beautiful Cape May. The minute I cross the bridge I feel relaxed. The most magical time of year for me is December. The tree-lighting ceremony, the decorations, the Winter Wonderland festivities at Congress Hall, and the West Cape May Christmas Parade are some of my favorite activities. But my perfect day would be in spring. After waking up, I’d spend some time in an Adirondack chair on the lawn at Congress Hall, where I’d drink my iced vanilla latte from Tommy’s Folly and get lost in a great book. Then, with my husband Carlos, I’d take a long bike ride along the beach and through town, taking in the beautiful architecture of these tree-lined streets. We’d be sure to stop at Beach Plum Farm, where we’d walk through the lush flower and vegetable gardens. Of course, we’d check on the adorable pigs and chickens… you should see all the eggs! I would spend my perfect afternoon playing in the ocean, feeling the sand between my toes, and indulging in my guilty pleasure — a celebrity gossip magazine. For lunch, I’d grab a hot dog from Tommy’s; they never fail to be delicious. Around sunset, we would head to the front porch of the Virginia Hotel, where we’d enjoy hand-crafted cocktails, mouth-watering small plates, and great conversation with friends, old and new. To end the evening, we’d walk to our favorite frozen custard stand on the Washington Street Mall, Kohr’s — cool and refreshing, just like Cape May.
World-renowned birder Richard Crossley has created the Learning to Look package for our guests
Experience Nature At Its Most Amazing
C
ape May is one of the world’s most famous birding spots. Its geographic location, sandwiched between the ocean and the Delaware Bay, funnels southbound migrants to its tip. Added to this is a tremendous diversity of habitat, crammed into a very small area. For the birder, this creates great opportunities to find a wide array of birds without having to travel too far. Which is why we are so excited to offer a new Learning to Look Birding Workshop, created by world-renowned birder and author Richard Crossley. The workshop, based from The Virginia Hotel (but with a LOT of outdoor activity), is a 2-night/3-day experience in an intimate group of up to 14 participants. The first event was held in May, when participants witnessed the migration of Red Knots, an amazing spectacle. The next birding workshop will be held at the Virginia on October 19-21, which promises to be a special experience, since fall is the peak migration time for birds. (See page 128 for more details.) Richard moved to Cape May in 1991 after he fell in love with it in the 1980s. His knowledge and love of Cape May are second to none, which will be very evident during your visit. Richard is also revolutionizing the way we look at birds and books. His goal is to simplify the way we see, and identify, birds. Most people come away pleasantly surprised by how much they can really see. Comments such as, “Why didn’t someone tell me this
before?” are not unusual. Throughout your stay, the emphasis will be on learning to look, rather than checking off every box. The goal is to help all participants become better and more independent birders. The more we are able to look and see on our own, the more enjoyable birding becomes. As with all migration spots, the weather determines which birds will be around. Due to this, our schedule will be flexible so that we can take advantage of Richard’s experience to see the highest number of birds. An outline of the trip will be provided, but this will almost certainly be subject to change. Much of the focus will be to not only see the birds, but to better understand and enjoy them. The result will be that you will find them much easier to identify than you imagined. Some of the places we will visit will include Higbee Beach for songbirds. This is typically the best place first thing in the morning. Birds that have arrived in Cape May County overnight remarkably all fly north in the morning (we still don’t fully understand why). There are a number of spots to see shorebirds. South Cape May Meadows is one of the best, and we will be stopping here to see which waterbirds are around. Since Richard is co-author of the critically acclaimed The Shorebird Guide, there is nobody better equipped to show you these birds. Cape May is also a famous raptor migration site. We will have our eye on the skies at all times but will also spend some time at the Cape May Hawkwatch.