Thank you both very much, I'll file this away for future reference. I
think I'll just be an armchair birder this time but I'll be curious about
what sightings people may have. Maybe I'll go out after it all dies down a
bit.
> To add to what Josh wrote...
>
> On the North Shore Rockport is the place to be during a storm. The best
> views are available from Andrews Point but parking there is challenging
> both because of restrictions and one of the neighbors. There is a small
> lot nearby and street parking further away. Halibut Point is more exposed
> and a longish walk to the viewpoints. It's probably not a safe spot if the
> wind is blowing hard.
>
> Northeast winds blow birds into Cape Cod Bay. While the winds remain NE
> the mainland side can be good. Manomet Point is a good spot but very
> exposed. Viewing might also be possible from the lawn at Manomet
> Conservation Sciences, but others will have to comment on that.
>
> During the current storm the south side of Cape Cod Bay has been good with
> lots of Leach's Storm-Petrels being reported from both the Cape Cod Canal
> at Scusset Beach and Sandy Neck. Once the winds shift the birds start to
> head east along the arm of the Cape and pass places like Dennis Chapin
> Beach then on to First Encounter Beach. There some birds fly straight over
> the Cape to the ocean, as I understand it, while others head north along
> the inside shore of the Cape. Race Point is probably good but very exposed
> with a lot of blowing sand and salt spray at times like this. I'd stick to
> First Encounter before heading there.
>
> Cliff Cook
> Watertown
>
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 26, 2026 at 3:06 PM Josh <opihi...> wrote:
>
>> Seems like I’ve always heard that First Encounter Beach (on Cape Cod) is
>> the best place in the state to be during and immediately after a
>> nor’easter. I’ve almost never been there, too long of a drive for me. The
>> overall premise I’ve heard is that the nor’easter blows birds into Cape Cod
>> Bay, and those birds try to fly southeast back toward the open ocean but
>> run into the Cape, so follow the bayshore counter-clockwise until they can
>> get around Race Point. If I’m recalling that correctly, then pretty much
>> anywhere that sticks out into Cape Cod Bay, with a decent view and good
>> access, might have potential. It’s best to be somewhere that you can see
>> the ocean from inside your car, because your optics (including eyeglasses)
>> become much less useful once exposed to the rain and blowing wet sand. Race
>> Point probably has more and better birds than First Encounter, but you
>> can’t really drive out to the water’s edge there: I think a permit is
>> required, and there’s a!
>> high risk of getting your car stuck in the sand, while First Encounter
>> has a paved public parking lot right at the water’s edge.
>>
>> Further north, if Ipswich Bay has similar dynamics, then somewhere on the
>> northwest side of Cape Ann might be good. Unfortunately, it seems like most
>> of the places where you can park your car with a good view of the ocean are
>> on the other side. Halibut Point might be ideal, but as I recall, one has
>> to walk a fair distance across exposed rocks to reach a good ocean view
>> there, not safe to do during a storm.
>>
>> Good birding,
>>
>> Josh
>>
>>
>> Joshua S. Rose, Ph.D.
>> Amherst, MA
>> https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/opihiman >> https://www.facebook.com/opihi >>
>> Writer/compiler, Bird Observer
>> https://www.birdobserver.org/ >>
>> Columnist, “Earth Matters”
>> https://www.gazettenet.com/search?bodysearch=earth+matters >> https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/category/earth-matters/ >>
>> Vice-president, Hampshire Bird Club
>> https://hampshirebirdclub.org/ >>
>> Northeast Chapter head, Dragonfly Society of the Americas
>> https://www.dragonflysocietyamericas.org/northeastdsa >>
>>
>> > On Sep 26, 2026, at 12:32 AM, Laura M <magrinha97...> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi, anyone have tips for birding before, during or after this monster,
>> prolonged rainstorm beginning now in eastern MA? As in where to go and what
>> to look out for? Might it be worthwhile?
>> >
>> > Thanks, Laura
>> > <magrinha97...>
>> > South Boston
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Cliff >> <ccook13...>
>
