Well, I have arrived in Cape May and have gotten unpacked. The rest of my team is still on route and I'm going to bop out for a stroll on the beach and maybe do some practice digiscoping. Meanwhile, Non Birding Bill alerted me to this tip from Esquire Magazine's 75 Skills For Men:

74. Know some birds. If you can't pay attention to a bird, then you can't learn from detail, you aren't likely to appreciate the beauty of evolution, and you don't have a clue how birdlike your own habits may be. You've been looking at them blindly for years now. Get a guide.