Birding By Boat on the Osprey

Birding by Boat is awesome as usual. I attended with my 9-year-old son, who is into birding, during Fall migration season in Cape May. The guides for our trip have obviously been doing this for a very long time so they know everything about the birds, the habitats, the history, of the area. They were also highly personable, entertaining, and welcoming in addition to being knowledgeable. The boat itself is pretty basic -- a somewhat small space, a basic restroom, and windows that could use ac lean, but the experience is excellent. Even during windy days ("Gale Force Winds" warning from my phone) the trip was stable and smooth, and my son did not have any issues with sea sickness though we did take a Dramamine beforehand. Since the trip is in the back bay, and not the open ocean, that helped with keeping the boat much steadier and in calmer waters. Here's the list of birds we saw (plus dolphins!): Merlin Osprey Golden crowned night heron Belted king fisher Double crested cormorant Black bellied plover Semipalmated Sand piper Short billed dowitcher Greater yellow legs Forester tern Common tern Royal tern Fish crows Oyster catchers Great blue heron Green heron Snowy egrets Great egret Bald eagle Tree swallows Clapper rail Ruddy turnstone Western willet White ibis

Been doing this for many years. So fun and great seeing all the birds. They know all the birds, where they hide, when they migrate, etc. Will be back.

We had a lovely 2 1/2 hour cruise that flew by as we were looking for flying creatures. The captain and the naturalist on board were so knowledgeable and even took the time to point out birds that I could not find. He was able to bring the boat very close to groups of birds as well. You could tell they really enjoyed showing us around the marshes and we were lucky to see many different kinds of birds in their own habitats. I would highly recommend this tour!

Very pleasant 2 hour boat ride . Capt Bob was great at pointing out a tremendous amount of birds. Great variety of birds . But the trip was mostly about relaxing and enjoying the beautiful unique scenery. We were 3 couples with only 1 birder amongst us, yet everyone really enjoyed the trip

I enjoyed the trip. Patti & Bob were informative and fun. We saw lots of birds, and it was also cool to travel thru the bay on a small boat. They supply the binocs.

Captain was very knowledgeable on birds and truly passionate about it. Great to see people doing what they love! Thank you for your time.

This is the second time I’ve gone on this trip. The first time I went in June and I saw many more birds than this time. But that’s the time of year - not the trip. Despite not seeing that many birds, it’s still a really nice trip. The people who run the trip are very nice and very knowledgeable and it’s a nice couple of hours out on the water.

This was a great experience. Both the captain and nature guide were very knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely a must for visiting Cape May.

We had a great time on the Osprey. The naturalist and captain were both very knowledgeable. We saw lots of beautiful shore birds with great viewing for all. Some lifers too. Will definitely be back again!!!

My family and I had an incredible experience on The Osprey! Captain Bob had an intimate knowledge of the water, marshes, and birds and shared that knowledge enthusiastically. He went above and beyond to give us a great experience. The boat was also comfortable and smooth. We benefited from having a group of only about 12, but I'm confident that it would have been just as fun with 20+ people. Overall, we saw 38 species including White Ibis, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Willet and six heron species!