Boston Birding (1 Viewer)

I will be in Boston this week and have a day and a half free to go birding. I am staying in the Inner Harbor (Boston Harbor Hotel) area and will only have access to public trans (although I could take a taxi if the trip was worth it). What would you recommed? I am tentatively planning to take a ferry to a couple of the harbor islands on one day and maybe take a whale watch trip on the half day.

Thanks,

Jackie

Hi Jackie,

I recently moved to your area from the Boston area, and I think you already have some pretty good ideas. At this time of year, you won't see land birds around Boston that you can't also see around Rockville (except Black-capped Chickadees, but those can be seen in Western Maryland), so heading to sea makes sense.

I'd see if you can find a full-day whale watching excursion though (or at least as long as they offer). Pelagic birds (shearwaters and petrels) are often seen together with whales, so whale watching trips can also be good birding trips. (Though there are no guarantees; I went on one whale watching trip from Cape Ann and saw plenty of whales but only one pelagic bird -- a single Sooty Shearwater). You should let the whale watch guide know that you're interested in birds; he/she may seek them out and might also be able to help with identification of the more usual pelagic species.

I've been on a couple of the half day Boston Harbor cruises, and saw little in the way of birds. There are birds around the Boston Harbor Islands (eider and oystercatchers nest there, among others). But they can be difficult to find unless you are on a dedicated birding trip.

Another possibility to consider would be taking the ferry to Provincetown or Cape Ann. But birds would be hit or miss, especially given that you have no car and would be limited to milling around the towns once you got there. In any event, good luck with it.

Hope this helps,
Jim