Out of the Depths: Sowerby’s Beaked Whales in the Wilmington Canyon
On June 18th 2023, the crew of the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center and passengers prepared to head offshore in search of marine life on a 24 hour pelagic trip to the Wilmington Canyon. At 9pm, the American Star left the dock, and steamed through the darkness of the night to a location…
The Loggerhead Sea Turtle
As we make our way off the shore of Cape May to look for our larger marine mammals the water becomes increasingly clearer, and this is when it happened! For the past couple of weeks, the water temperature had been consistently over 70 degrees and more wildlife was being spotted. I had seen tons…
Share the Shores
Cape May is known for its gorgeous shorelines, beautiful Victorian architecture, and interesting history. Its no wonder that the summer months draw 40,000 to 50,000 visitors annually with a steady increase every year (Barlow 2019). While this is good news for the local economy and to the thousands of visitors who choose to vacation in Cape May, this excess foot traffic can be problematic for migrating shorebirds who nest on the coastlines. Adult Black Skimmer Shorebirds are some of the most migratory animals known to science today, and the habitats they utilize for nesting and feeding are extremely important to maintaining a healthy weight while migrating and for successfully raising chicks. Many of these vulnerable shorebirds have seen declines since the 1970s. Factors affecting these birds include degradation of their wintering or staging grounds through development, human disturbance, pesticide use,…