In order to be successful in the World Series of Birding, you must follow a strategy. Team No Sora Feelings will have a strategy split into three steps. First, before even getting to New Jersey, we will use eBird to do research and make a rough draft of our itinerary based on where the best birds have been seen recently. Then, once we get to New Jersey, we will scout the locations from our rough draft to get more information for our final plan. Some of the important places we will scout include Tuckahoe WMA for Sora, King Rail, and Least Bittern; Jakes Landing for Clapper Rail and Seaside Sparrow; Belleplain State Forest for Summer Tanager, Yellow-throated Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Hooded Warbler; and Reed’s Beach for shorebirds like Red Knot and Ruddy Turnstone. We will also check places like Garrett Family Preserve, Cape May Point State Park, and South Cape May Meadows to see if any migrants are around. Finally, after scouting, we will combine everything we learned to make the final itinerary. Our plan will focus on getting marsh birds like rails early in the morning, forest birds while they are singing, shorebirds around high tide, and seawatching in the afternoon for birds like Jaegers and Gannets. We will leave extra time at the end of the day to go back to places like Reed’s Beach or South Cape May Meadows to look for any birds we might have missed. This strategy will help No Sora Feelings have the best chance to find the most birds and have a great time in the World Series of Birding!

Thank you!