'Tis the season to watch nature awaken from it's long winter nap. It's an exciting time as we watch the bulbs sprout from the ground, the snow cover melt away and listen to the happy birds that wintered over chirping in the branches above. Each spring we all look forward to the arrival of migrating wildlife, especially the birds. This time of year provides a wonderful opportunity to teach children about the seasons and the habits of wildlife, which often resemble our own seasonal habits. Though you can watch for spring migrants in your own backyard, following is my list of our favorite places to spot migrating birds in New England. There are so many I like, I found it hard to choose only ten!
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| Piping Plover on nest. Bill Byrne. USFWS National Digital Library. |
Best Spots to See Migrating Birds in the Spring in New England
1. Hammonasset State Park - Madison, Connecticut: warblers, waterfowl.
2. White Memorial Foundation and Conservation Center - Litchfield, Connecticut: Bluebirds, Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, Tree Swallow, Canada Geese, grebes, terns and Red-Winged Blackbirds.
3. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge - Newburyport, Massachusetts: Over 285 species of spring migrants have been viewed here.
4. Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge - Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: turnstones, sanderlings, sandpipers, plovers, Red Knots, terns and American Oystercatchers.
5. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge - South Kingstown, Rhode Island: waterfowl, songbirds along with some nesting rare Osprey and Least Terns.
5. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge - South Kingstown, Rhode Island: waterfowl, songbirds along with some nesting rare Osprey and Least Terns.
6. Norman Bird Sanctuary - Middletown, Rhode Island: warblers, shorebirds and more.
7. The Loon Center and Markus Wildlife Sanctuary - Moultonborough, New Hampshire: loons!
8. Mohegan Island - Maine: Blue-Winged Teal, Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing, warblers, Osprey, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon.
9. Acadia National Park - Mount Desert Island, Maine: songbirds, seabirds, Purple Sandpipers and possibly puffins.
10. Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge - Swanton, Vermont: Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Catbird and warblers and songbirds.
I invite you to add your favorite spots to this list, no matter where you live.
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