Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..
Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Updated: March 6, 2022 @ 5:22 pm
Winter birding on Cape Ann can be rewarding. Bring binoculars to spot migrating species of ducks and other waterfowl. And bundle up! (Paige Impink photo)
Winter birding on Cape Ann can be rewarding. Bring binoculars to spot migrating species of ducks and other waterfowl. And bundle up! (Paige Impink photo)
Ducks. We were looking for ducks. Snow pants, gloves, hats, and binoculars. Friends visiting from Virginia invited us to join them on Cape Ann for birding recently. In the winter? Indeed.
Ducks from Canada find the waters off Rockport, Gloucester, and Plum Island a perfect winter migration stopover, chock full of food and presumably warmer water than further north. Warmer?
Our friends quickly deemed our binoculars inferior, and shared their high-powered scope and field glasses with us. Looking out onto the churning waters off of Halibut Point in Rockport, we noticed that on a sunny but cold Sunday morning, the parking lot was surprisingly full. Birders were all over the place on this 16 degree morning sporting backpacks, binoculars around their necks, carrying scopes on tripods, and asking each other “what are you seeing?”
While we knew people were bird watching enthusiasts, it was a complete surprise to learn about the year ‘round opportunities, and the subculture of birders that even compete each year to spot a dizzying number of birds. Watch the comedy “The Big Year” to learn more.
As we worked our way out to the rocky ledges, our friends pointed and started calling out the species they were seeing. “Eiders… there’s a Long Tail… Scaup.” But the species they were really after was the Harlequin, considered one of the most beautiful birds in the duck family. The Harlequin is multicolored and has some of the most spectacular plumage of the sea ducks.
The Long Tail is another beautiful duck, and had we not been with experienced birders, we would not have appreciated the variety of coastal birds that were bobbing as a group in the surf, nor that there is a distinction between sea ducks and freshwater ducks.
Moving to another location, the Rogers Point neighborhood, additional waterfowl were gathered. Out of nowhere, people started coming across the rocks, asking “did you see the raft of Harlequins over there?”
We looked down at the water, above the horizon and below the horizon, waiting and watching. And then our friends referred to their phones and we were off again, this time just a few minutes away to Gloucester’s Jodrey State Fish Pier.
Jodrey is a public pier and popular birding site we learned. A Merganser was quickly spotted, its green head plumage shimmering in the sun. Again, seemingly out of nowhere, people appeared with long camera lenses and binoculars.
“Have you seen an Iceland gull?” This, apparently, would be a score if spotted; the Iceland is white all the way to the tip of its wings. Nope, not this time. But there were other gulls galore. No loons.
We learned that the birders reference apps that are updated in real time by other birders, sending spotters driving all over Cape Ann. After thanking them for the new adventure, our friends were on their way again, this time heading up to Plum Island to spot a Snowy Owl in one of the parking lots. We bid them adieu, reserved “The Big Year” from the library, and resolved to head to Plum Island some morning to have our own try at seeing the Snowy Owl.
Bundle up and head out for your own birding adventure this winter!
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