A Mountain of Butterflies and a Cloud of Grasshoppers

Abstract

Every autumn, Cape May, New Jersey, becomes a mecca for birdwatchers. Migrating birds moving down the coast reach the tip of the Cape May Peninsula and stall, apparently reluctant to cross the waters of Delaware Bay. They mill about Cape May’s forests, fields, and marshes for a few hours or a few days, resting and feeding before braving the Delaware crossing and continuing their southward journey. Under the right winds and weather conditions, Cape May can host hundreds of thousands, even millions, of migratory birds.