Best Places to Go Bird-Watching in Boston

Illustration by Ellaphant in the Room

Arnold Arboretum

“My wife is great at finding the warbling vireos here by sound. What these little birds lack in feather color, they make up for in song.”

Illustration by Ellaphant in the Room

Belle Isle Marsh

“[It’s an] entirely different ecosystem not far from downtown…where my wife and I got a close look at a snowy owl. We’ve seen snow buntings right on the path.”

Illustration by Ellaphant in the Room

Boston Common

“An amazing number of species appear during migration seasons. Warblers, herons, thrushes—we once saw a barred owl there. It spent the day nearly unnoticed, watching people scurry by.”

Pro tip: Keep track of the birds you’ve seen with the eBird app. Its companion program, Birdseye, records recent sightings in your area.