Cape May School of Birding
How to Register for School of Birding Workshops
Thanks for your interest in birding and learning in Cape May, the birding capital of North America!
We suggest registering early for workshops to ensure a place.
Register by phone
Simply call the Cape May Bird Observatory (609.861.0700 ext. 11) with the name(s) and date(s) of the workshops for which you are interested. We will accept payment by credit card over the phone at time of registration.
Register by mail
Simply download, complete and return the 2012 School of Birding Registration Form
Note: this form is a dynamic .pdf that can be completed digitally, or it can be printed and completed by hand. For your own security, DO NOT send credit card information via e-mail. Mail, fax or email completed forms to:
Cape May School of Birding
Cape May Bird Observatory
600 Route 47 North
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210-1324
Fax: (609) 861-1651
Email: cmboprograms@njaudubon.org
Payment
Workshop registration may be accompanied by full payment or you can reserve a space with a $25 non-refundable deposit with balance payment due 2 weeks prior to the workshop. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, check, or money order.
Cancellations
Cape May School of Birding Workshops require a minimum number of registrants to run, but are virtually
never cancelled. If we do cancel, all participants will be notified in advance and are eligible for a full credit
or refund. News of cancellations will also be posted on News from the Cape.
Participants may cancel without penalty if greater than 30 days in advance of the scheduled workshop.
Cancellations within 10 to 30 days in advance may be subject to a 25% service charge. Sorry, but we
are unable to refund or credit any cancellations with less than 10 days advance notice unless due to
health emergencies (the 25% service charge may still apply).
We reserve the right to substitute leders if necessary, though this rarely happens.
Instructions
Detailed instructions and recommended reading will be sent to all registered participants in advance of each workshop, usually by e-mail. All Cape May workshop meeting locations are on our Cape May Birding and Butterfly Map available for download from our website, or can be mailed to you upon request along with the detailed instructions.
Membership
If you are not a current CMBO or NJ Audubon member, you can join at the time of registration to receive the member discount.
Transportation
All transportation throughout the workshop is the responsibility of the participant. Meals and lodging are not included. For a list of recommended accommodations and restaurants, visit the "Places..." listing on our website or call 609.884.2736 for a Places brochure.
2011 Workshop Leaders
MEGAN CREWE has been birding since childhood. A tour guide for more than a decade for Field Guides, a birding tour company, Megan's leadership bursts with information and enthusiasm. She serves as co-secretary and council member for the Neoptropical Bird Club. After living in England for nearly a decade, Megan has returned to the Cape May area with her husband Mike, CMBO's new Northwood Center Store Manager.
MIKE CREWE joined the staff of CMBO in September 2009, heading up the Northwood shop, and has recently taken over as the Director of Birding Programs. Mike's the latest in a long-line of "Brits" to be drawn to Cape May and its world-class birding. Mike visited the area annually since 2000, and during his 12 years as a professional tour guide in the UK, has brought several birding groups to the area since 2003. Prior to being a tour guide, Mike worked for several years as an environmental consultant and spent 16 years in the horticultural trade. His interests go far beyond birding, and Mike will be happy to talk at length about wasps, moths, reptiles, plants...if it's natural history, he's into it!
MARK GARLAND is a naturalist and tour leader celebrated for his amazing wide-ranging knowledge, teaching skills, and genial good nature. A resident of West Cape May, he was for many years on the staff of the Washington D.C. based Audubon Naturalists Society and later a Senior Naturalist for CMBO. Now a freelancer, Mark's followers are legion and few who join him for Cape May workshops or his international tours fail to repeat with another trip...and then another...
MICHAEL O’BRIEN is one of the finest field birders in North America, and testifying to his character, remains one of the nicest people you will ever meet. A leader for VENT, Michael co-authored The Shorebird Guide and America's 100 Most Wanted Birds, and contributed artwork to the latest renditions of both the National Geographic and Peterson Field Guides. His CD-ROM, Flight Calls of Migratory Birds, created with Bill Evans, is the Rosetta Stone of that subject. Michael is well versed in butterflies and dragonflies, as well as everything avia.
SCOTT WHITTLE is a professional photographer who recently settled in the Cape May area. He received an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts, and has 15 years of experience as a freelance photographer in New York City with images published in dozens of publications. In 2008, he used his camera to help set a birding Big Year record for New York State, documenting 349 of the 350 birds he saw. He also competed in the 2009 Digital Photography Division of the World Series of Birding. He has taught photography workshops in Maine and New York, and is always excited to help his students achieve their photographic goals.
LOUISE ZEMAITIS is a VENT tour leader and long-time Associate Naturalist at CMBO. Louise compiles the Cape May Christmas Bird Count and coordinates the Monarch Monitoring Project in Cape May. An honors grad at Temple's Tyler School of Art, she is a talented freelance artist and her illustrations have been widely published. Workshop participants remember her for her polished teaching skills, infectious laugh, and broad knowledge of natural history, especially butterflies and dragonflies.
Why Join a Cape May School of Birding Workshop?
- Fun, attentive, world-class leaders on every workshop.
- A chance to visit one of the truly best birding places on the planet.
- Meet great, like-minded people for lasting memories...and friendships.
- Be a better birder and enjoy a feeling of accomplishment when you are done.
- Registration fees help support the mission of NJ Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory.
On A Typical Workshop
- The majority of time is spent in the field, watching, listening, and learning.
- There will be at least one indoor session, normally in the afternoon. There may be more on extended workshops or in case of inclement weather.
- Daily plans are adjusted to meet local weather and migration conditions.
- We look at all birds we encounter, but still remain focused on the topic of the workshop.
- Leader to participant ratio is 1:12 or better.
- Questions are always welcome - before, during, and after the workshops.
Thousands of CMBO Workshop alumni are out there in the field, applying the skills they learned in Cape May. Read what they have to say about CMBO's Cape May Birding Workshops.
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Meet 8:00 A.M. at Cape May Point State Park.
With Pete Dunne. Say goodbye to winter and hello to northbound ducks and geese. They're beautiful. They're cooperative. Great subjects for birders learning the basics but a challenge for experienced birders, too--or as one VERY accomplished birder once put it: "Why is it after twenty years I still can't identify scaup." The focus will be waterfowl. Likely locations include Cape Island, Stone Harbor, Forsythe N.W.R., Barnegat Light. The target is 30 species of ducks and geese plus other birds of the ocean, back bays, freshwater and tidal marshes. NOTE: CMBO's ANNUAL OPTICS SALE IS MARCH 17-18. Field test binoculars and spotting scopes on the workshop before the sale. Second leader will be added if registration warrants.
Preregistration required. Cost: $150 members, $190 nonmembers.