The 10 Best Birdwatching Spots in New England
Wondering where to go to spot a diverse set of birds in the region? Read on for our expert’s picks for the 10 best birdwatching spots in New England.
By Tim Gallagher|Feb 18 2026|
A Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) among the beach grass on the top of a sand dune at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo Credit: ShutterstockWondering where to go to spot a diverse set of birds in the region? In 2011, we asked Tim Gallagher, former editor-in-chief of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Living Bird magazine and author of numerous books, for a list of the best birdwatching spots in New England.
The 10 Best Birdwatching Spots in New England
Photo Credit : Tara Rice
Acadia National Park | Mount Desert Island, ME
You’ll find 47,000 acres of coastline, lakes, marsh ponds, forests, and streams to explore–and Cadillac Mountain. With its great diversity of plant and animal life and a 338-bird checklist, this is the place to be: warblers, waterfowl, shorebirds, forest birds, and raptors.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Baxter State Park | Millinocket, ME
At more than 200,000 acres, it’s a vast area, home to Mount Katahdin and four distinct climatic zones supporting hardwoods, boreal forests, and alpine tundra vegetation. Above 3,000 feet, it’s the place to see Bicknell’s thrush. An amazing amount of bird life here, from waterfowl to warblers to crossbills.
The epic wooden staircase leading down to the beach at Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island.
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
Block Island National Wildlife Refuge | Charlestown, RI
About an hour by ferry from Port Judith in Narragansett on the mainland, this small island on the edge of the Atlantic flyway hosts a wide variety of habitats, including scrubland, dunes, beaches, and ponds. The refuge covers about 30 percent of the northern end of the 12-square-mile island; the rest is private property. Great birding in spring, summer, and fall.
Connecticut Lakes Region | Pittsburg, NH
This tract of state forest land is crisscrossed by timber roads. Spruce grouse, gray jay, boreal chickadee, northern saw-whet owl, rusty blackbird, warblers, black-backed woodpecker, and the common raven are all highlights.
Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area | Addison, VT
This southern tributary of Lake Champlain along the Atlantic flyway is famous for its Canada- and snow-geese migrations, with numerous migrant waterfowl and shorebirds. These cattail-dominated wetlands and agricultural lands are home to more than 200 bird species.
Photo Credit : Courtesy of Connecticut Office of Tourism
Hammonasset Beach State Park | Madison, CT
This spit of land jutting into the Long Island Sound was used by the Army to test ammunition during World Wars I and II. It’s now a state park with a 286-species checklist, including 20 types of sparrows, 15 warblers, and 26 different ducks.
Photo Credit : Joe Glizzio
Machias Seal Island | Bay of Fundy, ME
This offshore island is the place to see nesting puffins, as well as common and arctic terns, the common eider, razorbill, black guillemot, and common murre. Other pelagic species, such as shearwaters and jaegers, are usually seen on the trip out and back to the island. Three licensed tour operators can land on the island; the shortest trip is from Cutler, Maine. Time to go: mid-June to mid-July.
Photo Credit : Carl Tremblay
Odiorne Point State Park | Rye, NH
This 330-acre area is the former site of 19th-century estates and World War II-era Fort Dearborn. Habitats include tidepools, salt marshes, and forestlands. An ocean jetty and overgrown bunkers add variety. It’s a great fall raptor migration spot, where you can see peregrine, merlin, kestrel, Cooper’s, and sharp-shinned species. Warblers visit in the spring, and rafts of waterfowl gather here in the winter.
The Outer Cape | Wellfleet & Chatham, MA
Encompassing Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, this is a beautiful place to see herons, waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, piping plovers, and terns. Spring and fall migrations often bring rarely seen species to South Monomoy Island.
Photo Credit : Shutterstock
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge | Newburyport, MA
This feeding, resting, and nesting place for migrant waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds lies along the Atlantic Flyway. The southern two-thirds of Plum Island, at 4,660 acres, is a bird magnet, attracting more than 300 species.
Where are your favorite birdwatching spots in New England? Let us know!
This post was first published in 2011 and has been updated.
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Really the entire New England coast is a great bird watching area. It varies by season. Nubble to Belfast in winter, particularly Cliff House, Perkins Cove, Reid State Park. Rhode Island in spring and fall. Truxom Pond, Galilee, Jamestown. Connecticut in migration also, Milford, Lighthoust Point, Bluff Point, Harkness. Massachusetts in summer, Parker River, Cape Cod, Rockport.