WhenToBird

Birding spot · Cape May County, New Jersey

Birding at Cape May City Beach or Boardwalk: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Cape May City Beach or Boardwalk are Great Black-backed Gull (86%), American Herring Gull (78%), and Sanderling (61%). It is busiest in spring, when 45 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late May (71 species). 157 species have been reported here across 1,295 complete checklists from 776 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 41 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsJan 8-14: 26 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJan 15-21: 33 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsJan 22-31: 41 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsFeb 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Feb 15-21: 27 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsFeb 22-28: low data (9 checklists)Mar 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Mar 8-14: 23 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsMar 15-21: 28 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsMar 22-31: 40 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsApr 1-7: 28 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsApr 8-14: 49 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsApr 15-21: 35 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsApr 22-30: 56 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsMay 1-7: 39 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsMay 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsMay 15-21: 48 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsMay 22-31: 71 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsJun 1-7: 42 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJun 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Jun 22-30: low data (8 checklists)Jul 1-7: low data (2 checklists)Jul 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jul 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Jul 22-31: low data (9 checklists)Aug 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (8 checklists)Aug 15-21: 47 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsAug 22-31: 33 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsSep 1-7: 29 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsSep 8-14: 40 species on 5%+ of 53 checklistsSep 15-21: 27 species on 5%+ of 61 checklistsSep 22-30: 32 species on 5%+ of 125 checklistsOct 1-7: 41 species on 5%+ of 99 checklistsOct 8-14: 39 species on 5%+ of 142 checklistsOct 15-21: 53 species on 5%+ of 151 checklistsOct 22-31: 57 species on 5%+ of 79 checklistsNov 1-7: 30 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsNov 8-14: 30 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsNov 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Nov 22-30: 40 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsDec 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Dec 8-14: low data (1 checklists)Dec 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Dec 22-31: 28 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Great Black-backed Gull86%
  2. 2American Herring Gull78%
  3. 3Sanderling61%
  4. 4Lesser Black-backed Gull59%
  5. 5Black Scoter57%
  6. 6Ring-billed Gull57%
  7. 7Northern Gannet49%
  8. 8Double-crested Cormorant41%
  9. 9Royal Tern33%
  10. 10Surf Scoter29%
  11. 11European Starling22%
  12. 12House Sparrow20%
  13. 13Northern Mockingbird20%
  14. 14Rock Pigeon20%
  15. 15Red-throated Loon18%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 34 species

  1. American Herring Gull79%
  2. Surf Scoter74%
  3. Red-throated Loon69%
  4. Great Black-backed Gull66%
  5. Black Scoter59%

Spring 45 species

  1. Laughing Gull66%
  2. Great Black-backed Gull57%
  3. American Herring Gull56%
  4. American Oystercatcher49%
  5. Forster's Tern40%

Summer 40 species

  1. Laughing Gull93%
  2. Great Black-backed Gull65%
  3. American Herring Gull58%
  4. Least Tern55%
  5. American Oystercatcher52%

Fall 37 species

  1. American Herring Gull81%
  2. Great Black-backed Gull80%
  3. Laughing Gull72%
  4. Royal Tern68%
  5. Black Skimmer62%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across New Jersey.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.