Cape May Whale Watch with SCSC Seasons Class

Last autumn I had joined the Seasons class on an overnight trip to Cape May to enjoy the migration of Monarch Butterflies and Raptors. During the overnight, many students offered presentations of various subjects found in and around the habitats of Cape May. One student discussed the whale watching and research opportunities as the students stood in the parking lot of the M/V Twilight, a locally owned boat used for whale watching (go to www.CapeMayWhaleWatch.com — not to be confused with the “red boat”). The owners of the boat were impressed with the students and gave the school a large gift certificate to off-set the costs of a future whale watching excursion!

Last Thursday 22 of us — students, parents, teachers and me — took them up on the offer. During our three hour boat ride we quickly came upon many Atlantic Bottle-nosed Dolphins. Unfortunately, no whales. The student schedule and the whale migration schedules just did not line up.

However, we had wonderful views of many Laughing Gulls, Herring Gulls and a few Greater Black-backed Gulls. Forster’s Terns were also common out at sea. Along the shoreline as we re-entered the harbor, many Ospreys were seen soaring, perched or fishing.

A trio of American Oystercatchers circled the boat as we made our final approach to the dock, offering a fond farewell to a happy bunch of students!