For many, bird-watching is a casual backyard diversion; for others, it's a hobby that demands top-notch binoculars and a good travel-rewards card. If you're the latter kind of birder — or you aspire to be — there are plenty of places across the country to find a dazzling array of species. We consulted bird-watching experts and publications to land on some of the very best.
For most folks, Cape Canaveral means historic rocket launches and cruise ships; for bird watchers and birders, it's an ideal spot to spy rare birds all year long. "During spring and fall migration, shorebird numbers and diversity can be spectacular, but throughout the year, long-legged waders are abundant, showy, and easy to find," said Dawn Hewitt, editor of Bird Watcher's Digest.
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The crown jewel of the area is Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, where 358 species have been identified. Hewitt recommends its 7-mile Black Point Wildlife Drive for both serious and casual bird watchers. Close by, Canaveral National Seashore offers yet more chances to spy shorebirds.
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If you only knew this seaside town for its charming Victorian architecture and pristine beaches, you're missing out. On your next visit, look to the skies, too. "It's a year-round destination for birders and is home to important nature reserves as well as a pioneering hawk watch and a nearby watch site for seabirds," said Matt Mendenhall, editor of BirdWatching magazine. "And arguably no other place in the Americas is as steeped in the history of ornithology as Cape May is."
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Higbee Beach on Delaware Bay is a fall hotspot for warblers and hawks. Nearby Cape May National Wildlife Refuge offers similar variety and has become a home to nesting piping plovers, a threatened shorebird.
If you're surprised to see the Big Apple on this list, don't be — it's on an important bird migration route, the Atlantic Flyway, and has a surprisingly diverse landscape friendly to myriad birds beyond pigeons, including forest, shoreline, and marshes. According to New York City Audubon, more than 350 species have been spotted in the five boroughs.
Central Park — yup, right in the middle of Manhattan — is a microcosm of bird habitats with its meadows, large rocks, abundant trees, and water. Look for plenty of warblers in the spring and birds of prey in the fall, including American kestrels and ospreys. In Queens, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge sprawls over 9,000 acres and offers excellent chances to see waterfowl in particular.
Central New Mexico becomes a serious contender in the winter months, said Hewitt, editor of Bird Watcher's Digest. "The spectacle of uncountable cranes and geese from November through January can be mind-blowing. At other times of year, southwestern specialties including hummingbirds and desert species are a special treat."
By far the area's most well-known birding destination, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is the go-to spot, Hewitt said (be aware that some parts, like the restrooms and water fountains, are closed because of the pandemic). Wetlands, forests, and fields here provide an important refuge for more than 371 species of birds, including Sandhill Cranes. Further north, Sandia Crest is home to three species of rare rosy-finches.
Want a good chance to spot a bird you probably won't find anywhere else? Head to the southern tip of Texas, Mendenhall said. "In the U.S., some birds are only found in southern Texas or they're rarely seen in other regions. These species include Roadside Hawk, Gray Hawk, Green Jay, Golden-Fronted Woodpecker, Clay-Colored Thrush, Least Grebe, and Great Kiskadee."
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge's 12 miles of trails offer abundant birding, and the refuge even runs an open-air Nature Tram that traverses a 7-mile, 90-minute course, perfect for a quick overview. For a more intimate experience, McAllen's historic Quinta Mazatlan estate packs in a staggering number of species in its impressive 15 acres of gardens.
The plains can yield rich rewards for bird watchers. Hewitt recommended saving this trip for early spring, when different species are most abundant. "Visit in March or April, when nearly half of North America's shorebirds stop over, plus waterfowl, sandhill cranes, raptors, songbirds, and more," she said.
Your bucket-list destinations should be Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Hewitt said. Cheyenne Bottoms, part of a massive natural land sink, provides an important wetlands habitat and has hosted at least 350 different birds. At Quivira, salt marsh and sand prairie have sheltered a similar number of species.
Go for the lobster and dramatic coastal scenery; stay for some of the East Coast's best bird-watching. One of the most famous feathered residents is the Atlantic puffin, several colonies of which nest offshore and require a summer boat trip out to coastal islands. Bald eagles are also abundant here.
At least 338 bird species have been spotted at Acadia National Park. Head to the park's famed Cadillac Mountain in the fall to watch birds of prey including eagles and hawks migrate through the park. If you're lucky, you may even spot a peregrine falcon, one of the world's fastest birds and a species that is under study in the park.
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Arizona's stark landscapes can make for surprisingly fertile bird-watching, and you can expect to spot some fairly rare species amid the natural beauty. "The area south and east of Tucson is a birder's paradise," Mendenhall said. "A dozen hummingbird species, Elegant Trogon, Painted Redstart, Elf Owl, and many other birds make the region a must-see."
Cave Creek Canyon, known as "Arizona's Yosemite," is a prime spot to spy hundreds of species, especially in spring and fall. Saguaro National Park should also be on your "must" list, and is also home to stunning hikes, petroglyphs, and some of the nation's most dazzling sunsets.
Anyone who's listened to the calls of loons while paddling across a quiet woodland lake knows northeastern Minnesota is a special place. For bird watchers, the region is an especially great spot to find northern species that are hard to find anywhere else in the country, Hewitt said. Many boreal species from farther north make this their seasonal home in the winter months.
Sax-Zim Bog is the area's biggest hotspot for bird watchers, especially in winter. Look for seldom-seen northern owls including the majestic great gray owl and the smaller northern hawk owl. In May and June, spy songbirds including the hard-to-find Connecticut Warbler.
Just as Minnesota's unique climate and landscape allows for rare northern visitors, South Florida's subtropical climate means you can find birds from closer to the equator. While flamingoes may spring to mind and are somewhat of an unofficial state symbol, numbers are just starting to recover from hunting and poaching more than a century ago. Much more common are roseate spoonbills, sometimes mistaken for their taller pink-feathered friends.
Everglades National Park has hosted 360 bird species, including large colonies of wading birds like the white ibis, wood stork, and several egrets and herons. And if you can make it out to the Keys, take a boat to Dry Tortugas National Park to spy nesting colonies of sooty tern and brown noddy, birds not found elsewhere in the United States.
Lake Erie's shores and the marshes nearby offer some of the nation's best bird-watching in the spring, Mendenhall said. "There is no better place to see warblers and other migrants than the boardwalk at Magee Marsh." Black Swamp Bird Observatory at the entrance to the marsh hosts "The Biggest Week in American Birding" in May, drawing birders from all over the nation.
Besides Magee, the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is a must-see, especially for bald-eagle lovers who want to catch a glimpse of the area's many nesting pairs.
The dazzling scenery of the Pacific Coast Highway is worth a trip in itself, but for birders, there are even more rewards along California's coastline, especially just north of San Francisco, near Point Reyes. "Western pelagic species, waterfowl, gulls — nearly half of the species of birds found in North America have been reported in this area," Hewitt said. "Habitat diversity is the reason, along with unspoiled habit." This is a year-round destination, she said, but especially good in the winter, with consistently high Christmas bird counts.
A staggering 490 bird species have been recorded at Point Reyes National Seashore, helped by the variety of landscapes including estuaries, forests, grassland, and coastal scrub. Two threatened species, the snowy plover and the northern spotted owl, are under study here. Visit from January through April and you may also spot gray whales during their migration, but research before you go — some facilities have been shut down during the pandemic.
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Forests, soaring mountains, rugged coastline, peaceful lakes, rambling meadows — all of these habitats are easily found on the Olympic Peninsula, which means there's a wide variety of birds to be found too. Come in April for the Olympic Peninsula BirdFest for field trips to the region's many hotspots. Though it was canceled in 2021, it is scheduled for April 7-10, 2022.
Olympic National Park dominates the region, and affords accordingly great bird-watching opportunities. Visit the park's Hurricane Ridge area for jaw-dropping mountain views and the chance to see an elusive Northern Pygmy Owl. The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is the place to spy waterfowl like brant and the showy harlequin duck.
Texas' popular beaches offer top-notch birding, but this is a particularly good destination in early spring — provided, of course, you can get away from spring-break crowds and find your own patch of sand. "From South Padre Island to Port Arthur (and even farther east) is good birding at any time of year, but especially in March and April, when waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, hummingbirds are heading north and find this area to be a convenient stopover," Hewitt said.
From fall through spring, Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge near Galveston offers ample opportunity to find more than two dozen species of ducks and tens of thousands of snow geese. Migrating songbirds also join the party — and you'll likely spot alligators aplenty. Check before you go, though, as some areas are restricted during the pandemic. In the winter, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the place for anyone who wants to see rare whooping cranes, Hewitt said.
Truth be told, you don't need to travel for bird-watching, because where you live is an ideal place to start. "Birds are all around us — even in urban areas, but especially in suburbs, backyards, city parks, and vacant lots," Hewitt said. "Keep your eyes open, but even more important, keep your ears open. Being attuned to the sounds of nature is key to spotting birds you've never noticed before." The National Audubon Society has more tips on how to get started birding.