Massachusetts

We made several trips throughout the Northeast from May to July 2023. Spring migration in Florida was slow due to a lack of fronts and significant rain so it was nice to see so many great birds up north.

Rochester NY

Our first trip was to Rochester where Mike volunteered at the PGA Championship in Oak Hills. A few of the best birds on the golf course were the Baltimore Oriole, Tennessee Warbler, and many Chimney Swifts. We stayed in Webster NY which is a quiet town with a lot of birding potential. We had Wilson’s Warbler and Brown Thrasher on the property. The Lilac Festival in Williamson is also a great time to see birds and a Least Flycatcher was an excellent find.

Our final two stops in the area were at Sodus Bay. The wind was blowing and the waves were crashing on the pier to the lighthouse at Sodus Point. We located our target bird, a Black-legged Kittiwake, as well as a bonus Bonaparte’s Gull. The Lake Shore Marshes WMA was an excellent stop with 24 species observed. Some of the best include Mute Swan, Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Redstart, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Connecticut

We visited Connecticut in the past but did not spend much time bird-watching. With limited time we chose the Connecticut Audubon Center at Pomfret as our destination. This is a beautiful property with multiple trails and habitats. We tallied 40 species in just over an hour and highly recommend this preserve. The Blue-winged Warbler was our target bird, and we heard them along the loop trail. We had an excellent recording of a Golden-winged Warbler but the record was not accepted due to the common hybridization of the two species. A total of eight warbler species were recorded. Other fun observations were the nesting Barn Swallows and Northern Bob-white in the farm field.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is another state we have visited but we did not have any reported birds. We went to the Cumberland Monastery which is a great birding location with woods, wetlands, and field trails. While walking the property, we identified 28 species including Red-bellied Woodpeckers feeding young, Warbling Vireo, and Cedar Waxwing. While we did not find the Rhode Island Red State bird, we did find clam Stuffies at a local seafood restaurant.

Massachusetts

We took the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard and toured the island using the local bus system. This is a great inexpensive way to go to Gay’s Head to see the iconic lighthouse, cliffs, and some very nice birds. Next, we rode the bus to Edgartown for outstanding lobster rolls and waterfront views. It was a short walk the next morning to the Farm Pond in Oak Bluffs which had a nice variety of shore birds including Common Eider, Common Loon, and Great Black-backed Gull. We observed 33 species during our roughly 24 hours on Martha’s Vineyard.

Our next stop was Race Point Beach and Lighthouse near Provincetown. We were happy to see the nesting Piping Plover in the roped-off areas on the beach. Also swimming and feeding in the surf were a group of Gray seals.

The highlight of the trip was a whale watch tour from MacMillan Pier. It was a short one-hour cruise with a boat only one-third full to the whale grounds. We observed six humpbacks and two Minke whales. We were delighted to have two Green Herons on the dock and 20 Common Eiders near the docks and on the jetties.

Vermont

In June we took the ferry from Essex NY to Charlotte Vermont. The Charlotte Town Beach is one of our favorite birding locations and we found 35 species during our one-hour visit. This is a diverse location with the Lake Champlain beach and nice woods surrounding the parking areas. Great birds included a juvenile Common Merganser, Wood Thrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, and American Goldfinch. We did find a rare Snowy Egret at Shelburne Bay.

While Mike played golf, I took a drive on Kelley Strand Road West. This is a seasonal road between East Arlington and Stratton in the Green Mountains that runs along the Roaring Branch River. The mosquitos were vicious which made bird watching a challenge. Luckily, I did see my two target birds: Canada Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Toronto and Niagara Falls

We took Amtrak from Utica to Toronto and we recommend train travel anytime you are going to a big city where you can walk or use public transportation. We took advantage of the favorable exchange rate to attend Hamilton, a concert, and a baseball game. The only night birds we saw were when the Toronto Blue Jays flew past the Baltimore Orioles. Our birding trip was to Trillium Park and Ontario Place. This waterfront park has hiking trails, concert venues, and great views of the Toronto Skyline. The best birds were a Mute Swan and an unexpected pair of Canvasbacks.

Our return train ride was delayed several days because of a derailment, which gave us the chance to visit Niagara Falls and see the view from the Canadian side. Horseshoe Falls was absolutely stunning both day and night. We highly recommend taking a wine tour if you are in the area. There were many ducks, geese, and gulls around the falls.

Closing

We had an incredible spring and summer traveling throughout the northeast. We visited some of the most beautiful places in the region, and we saw some amazing birds. We hope this blog post inspires you to visit some of these places and experience the joy of birding in the Northeast.

New York Year Birds: 115 NY Life Birds: 6

Connecticut Year Birds: 46 CT Life Birds: 33

Vermont Year Birds: 58 VT Life Birds: 30

Massachusetts Year Birds: 37 MA Life Birds: 21

Rhode Island Year Birds: 28 RI Life Birds: 28

Ontario Year Birds: 22 ON Life Birds: 15

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