🦉 Birding in the City, Belonging in the Wild
Birding in Cambridge – You don’t have to leave the city to connect with nature. Birding is one of the easiest ways to slow down, share space with wildlife, and rediscover your surroundings—even if it’s just a sparrow on a fencepost or a hawk circling above Mass Ave. Cambridge is full of unexpected moments if you know where to look. This spring, take a walk, visit the trees, and see who’s just arrived in town.
May is for the Birds!
🎓 Upcoming at the MIT Museum: Birding 101 + After Dark
Thursday, May 8 is all about birds at the MIT Museum. Start your evening with a free, beginner-friendly Birding 101 Workshop. Learn how to look and listen for birds, then take a guided walk through the area.
Then head into the museum for After Dark: Birds, a ticketed 21+ celebration with talks, art-making, games, beer, dumplings, and a pop-up bird art exhibit.
Highlights include:
A talk by MIT Professor Lorna Gibson on the engineering of feathers and bird bills
Gel plate printmaking with Mass Audubon’s The Nest
Digital and analog bird-themed games from the MIT Game Lab
A pop-up exhibit curated by the Museum of American Bird Art
Meet author Rosemary Mosco and her new book, The Birding Dictionary
Dumplings from Mei Mei Dumplings and beer from Lamplighter Brewing Co.
🎟️ Get Tickets Here Pre-registration recommended.
🌿 Top Spots for Birding in Cambridge
Fresh Pond Reservation – A favorite for early morning walkers and hardcore birders alike. The 2.25-mile loop around the reservoir offers plenty of chances to spot everything from mallards to migrating warblers. Plus, there’s parking and dog-watching.
Mount Auburn Cemetery – Technically in Watertown, but beloved by Cambridge locals. It’s one of the best birding sites in the entire state, especially during spring migration. Owls, orioles, and all the drama of territorial sparrows.
Alewife Brook Reservation – Floodplain + wetlands = bird buffet. Great for red-winged blackbirds, herons, and the occasional egret.
🧭 New to Birding/Birdwatching? Start Here.
Before we get into apps and events, here’s the OG resource: Mass Audubon’s birding guide. It covers what to bring, what to look for, and where to go across the state.
You don’t need fancy gear. You need curiosity, a decent pair of binoculars (or a friend who has some), and the Merlin Bird ID App.
📅 Birding in Cambridge (and Waltham) – Events This Weekend
If you’re looking to level up your birding game with some expert help—or just want a structured walk with fellow enthusiasts—here are a few excellent events in and around Cambridge:
🦉 Spring Birding at Mount Auburn Cemetery Saturday, May 3
Hosted by Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center. Focus on spring migrants like warblers, thrushes, vireos, and orioles.🐥 Spring Migration at Mount Auburn Cemetery Saturday, May 3
Led by Drumlin Farm’s Kathy Stark Dia, this session focuses on Mount Auburn as a spring stopover for neotropical migrants.🦉 Gore Place Bird Walk (Waltham) Saturday, May 3
A lovely chance to bird on the grounds of a historic estate just a short trip from Cambridge.
📅 Birding in Cambridge – Coming Up Next Weekend
🦆 Bird Along the Charles River Saturday, May 10
A guided birding walk at Magazine Beach with Mass Audubon, covering waterfowl, field birds, and riverside species.🌸 Mother’s Day Birding at Magazine Beach Sunday, May 11
Celebrate Mother’s Day with an early evening stroll through one of Cambridge’s most unique birding spots. Expect songbirds, waterbirds, and raptors.
