The Binocular Site
North America's 5 Best Birding Spots
Everyone has their own list of the best birding spots. It's a personal sort of list that takes into consideration an individual's own tastes. Birding is an aesthetic activity, and so everyone will perceive it differently. Here's our list of our five favorite birding sites North America.1. Nome, Alaska
For most of the year, Alaska isn't a prime spot to watch birds. It's cold and many species flee the area for warmer climes. At the same time, it also provides a wonderful perk for those summer months. Around the Summer Solstice, Nome stays light for almost the entire day. True, few people will take advantage of every lit-up hour, but it does give you more than enough time to see all the birds you want.Interesting watches: Arctic Tern, Glaucous Gull
2. Morro Bay, California
Every January, hundreds of anxious birders flock to Morro Bay, California, to witness over 200 species of birds in flight. It's for the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, and it's a great escape for anyone in cooler climes. The four-day event is sure to thrill any birder, and the schedule is packed to the gills with classes and seminars. What better way to get through the dreariest part of winter?Interesting watches: Eurasian Wigeon, Snowy Plover
3. Central Park, New York City
With all of the parks and scenic wonders throughout North America, how does New York make the list? Because it's a wonder to sit in Central Park during the spring month and watch the birds migrating back north. While most of the year pigeons are the park's main inhabitants, in April watchers are treated to an array of species that they don't get to see 11 months out of the year.Interesting watches: Rock Dove, Warblers
4. Banff National Park
Now we move north into Canada, in the province of Alberta. The great part about Banff is that there is good watching all year round. It might seem odd, given the climes in Canada, but there are some seriously good watches in the winter months. Plus, the Canadian Rockies are quite beautiful and make for some great scenery themselves. Add in the birds and it's quite serene year round.Interesting watches: Mountain Chicadees, Clark's Nutrackers
5. Cape Breton
Fianlly, we move east in Canada to Nova Scotia, where Cape Breton remains one of the country's finest birding spots. There are multiple islands and mountains in the area, so you can watch from different vantage points. There's nothing quite like Nova Scotia in the spring, just as the weather starts to warm. You can see plenty of species here, and you can see them from many different angles as well.Interesting watches: Bicknell's Thrush, Atlantic Puffin
So what are you waiting for? If you're looking for something to do now, you can always book flights and hotels for Morro Bay now -- the event starts in just a couple of weeks. After all, who wants to wait for the weather to warm up before going birding again? If you can't, don't worry. There's plenty of great birding to come this spring.
