Zen Birding - Cape May Point State Park

Don't worry. I'm not going to get too pretentious about the Zen thing. Some people might hear that word and immediately picture a monk on a mountain in Tibet levitating. To me it's just the ability to be fully in the present. To exclude all thoughts except for one. Spirituality 101 = be in the moment, be present, blah, blah, blah. It's not a complex or new idea but I think it's hard to do.

Sometimes when I walk or hike I'm perseverating over past events or worried about the future. Birding is my refuge from wasteful thoughts and brings me into the now.  I was reminded about this by my new friends Joe Polumbo and Elizabeth Bender.

It's early on a Saturday morning and I head out to Cape May Point State park. My kids have been cat sitting for a neighbor who has a home in Cape May. They generously offer us their house in Cape May as thanks! A weekend in Cape May in September. Jackpot! Hell yes we'll take it! Cape May is one of my favorite places.




Cape May Point Light

I am a lister. I like to list things like birds. When I was a kid I used to list all the trolleys, model and number like some sort of OCD lunatic. I also collect people. At least that's what my mom calls it. Yeah, I love people. It sounds so stupid when I say it but it's deeply true for me. When I bird I always introduce myself to other birders. It's almost always rewarding too because I'll get tips, told where to find the warblers in the area or even make some lasting friends. This morning in Cape May was no different. I had a great walk and saw many birds but equally as fun was talking with Joe and Elizabeth. They were long time friends who had travelled all over the world birding, exploring museums, eating in fun restaurants and enjoying culture. I felt like it was an image of the life Tracy and I will live as we get older and that pleased me. In many ways it was also like looking into a mirror and seeing how we already live that way...I'm so freaking blessed it's stupid. Anyway, full circle, Joe said "Birding is so Zen" as we looked at another American Redstart. It wasn't as if I was like "oh wow I never thought of that" because I HAVE thought of that before. But it was nice to be reminded. It's like when someone states the obvious to you and  you are just reminded about a thing and it's brought back into focus.



American Redstart

Cape May is a world famous birding spot. It's close to Philadelphia, New York and DC so it gets tons of birders. It's at the tip of New Jersey and "funnels" migrating birds into Cape May, especially during fall migration which makes it get tons of birds. My new friends and I were able to ID almost 50 species in a 3 hour period. Highlights included Solitary and Least sandpipers, many warblers including Black and White, Magnolia, Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Nashville and really good looks at  Red-eyed Vireos which usually hangs out high in the canopy. The Red-eyed Vireo is one of those really common birds that are easy to overlook. This day I was able to really see the bright olive green back and appreciate it even more.

Red-eyed Vireo (I didn't take this shot but wish I did)



Bald Eagle flyover

Later that day at the house I saw a Bald Eagle flyover. These birds are way more common now that most people realize but I still think they are one of the most majestic and beautiful birds. Then again, I'm am American so I'm programmed to like the eagle.





At the beach we saw an Osprey with some food. That seems like a lot of fish for one bird.


Osprey with breakfast

Birding is a game, a refuge and even spiritual. I swear I'm totally levitating right now.