Winter Bird Watching on Cape Ann and Plum Island
Cold Weather Brings Rare Arctic Birds to North Massachusetts Coast
Feb 13, 2009
As is often the case, birding this area is most productive if the trip combines some well known birding hotspots with a little insider knowledge of where else to look for unusual avian visitors.
Plum Island, Joppa Flats and Salisbury State Park
Birders may benefit from starting at Massachusetts Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary to get information on what birds have been seen recently. Staff will provide maps of the area which detail access to the various birding sites. The Center has indoor viewing areas on two floors which give good views of the water, and their feeders which attract pine siskin, crossbills and red poll in winter.
The entrance to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island is just a short distance from the Joppa Flats Center. There is a small entrance fee to visit the refuge but it is well worth it. Spots to check in winter are the Wildcat Observation Area, where in some years snowy owls are regularly seen, and the end of the island near Emerson Rocks where seabirds may be close to shore.
From there a drive to Salisbury State Park may yield snow bunting and Lapland long spurs in the grassy road edges. Various owls, including short-eared, may be found working the open marshes near the breakwater. Crossbills and pine siskins are common in the evergreen trees in the campground area.
Rockport and Gloucester Bird Watching Sites
On the outskirts of Rockport, Cathedral Rocks near Pigeon Cove is host to flocks of harlequin ducks each winter. King Eider are also seen here on a fairly regular basis. There is a good viewpoint just in front of the Emerson Inn by the Sea.
A stop at Granite Pier, just off Rt.127 on the north side of Rockport, may yield Iceland or Glaucous gulls among the flocks following fishing boats into Gloucester harbor. Bass Rocks just offshore on the outskirts of Gloucester may have wintering seaducks near shore with alcids further off. Purple sandpipers are easily seen working the rocks in front of the Elks Club. And birdwatchers are welcome to use the Elks parking lot while viewing the area.
Another good spot for checking seabirds entering and leaving the harbor is Eastern Point Lighthouse. Ignore the Private-No Entry signs at the beginning of Eastern Point Blvd. and proceed to the lighthouse. A walk out on Dog Bar breakwater may be rewarded with close looks at resting Iceland and Glaucous gull and purple sandpipers. The rare Ivory gull has been seen here in some years.
MassBird as a Resource
The Massachusetts Birding List (MassBird for short) is a great site to visit to find out what has been seen recently in the Cape Ann area. Its members post sightings from all over the state and are very helpful to visiting birdwatchers hoping to see the area specialties or add a new species to their life list.
With spring just around the corner, Cape Ann and Massachusetts’ other famous cape, Cape Cod, are both places to visit during the migration. MassBird will help avian enthusiasts get the most out of a visit to either cape in any season.
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