For me, learning that Mt. Auburn Cemetery is a birding hotspot is no surprise. To others, it’s just another oddity to birding culture. The typical stereotype for a birder is, well, rather old and dull. More recently with the book-turned-movie The Big Year more stereotypes are forming about birders. Some of the stereotypes are true and some of them not (at least for most of us). All-in-all the general stereotype for birders has become a picture of a strange person, overly obsessed with birds. It’s pretty much like any other hobby or obsession. My trip at the beginning of May was nothing less than strange and obsessed.
If you have never heard of Mt. Auburn it is a large cemetery in Cambridge, just outside of Boston. It’s not a completely typical cemetery. It is filled with rolling hills and steep climbs along with a few ponds scattered throughout the property. It’s also an active cemetery. For birders, it is the perfect place to go birding. First, it is an oasis for birds. In the midst of building, homes, and concrete - this cemetery is a bullseye for migrating birds looking to land and grab a meal. The cemetery provides a variety of trees, mostly deciduous. The trees are not too small, but not too tall either. The hilly terrain also makes it easy for a birder to see a bird in a tall tree than it is at a lower level. The cemetery itself provides a clean walkway throughout the grounds. In most circumstances a forest is hard to walk through with heavy undergrowth. This way you are not confined to the trail.
The day started with eleven of us walking around the cemetery. There were many other groups and individuals there as well. At many points people joined our group, at other times we joined other groups as a new bird was found in the area. For most of the morning we were chasing down a rare bird: the Kentucky Warbler. The bird’s migration does not include travelling this far north. For us, it was a lucky day that this bird had gone too far. It’s a pretty bird. Yellow underneath and olive green on top. Its head is yellow with olive green and has a black eyestripe wrapping that makes it unique to most other warblers. For me, it was a triumphant day when the bird finally ventured out of a set of trees to perch on a bare branch. That was it. That was the view. It’s that moment that turns someone just interested in birds into a real birder.
It’s the moment I experienced three years ago when I first went on a bird walk in Chicago. Now, I’ve only become more strange and more obsessed. On my quest to reach 200 this year I was eager to knock a few off my list in Mt. Auburn. In the end, it was just the Kentucky Warbler. I did see many birds I hadn’t even seen since Chicago like the Nashville Warbler and Northern Parula. For others it was the first time I would see them this year like the Baltimore Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We did miss out on a few birds that we heard there that day like the Canada Warbler and Northern Waterthrust. Both would have been lifebirds. But really, it’s not about the numbers. The trip was great! We got to see a lot of birds and have a lot of fun doing it.
Magic number: 29
If you have never heard of Mt. Auburn it is a large cemetery in Cambridge, just outside of Boston. It’s not a completely typical cemetery. It is filled with rolling hills and steep climbs along with a few ponds scattered throughout the property. It’s also an active cemetery. For birders, it is the perfect place to go birding. First, it is an oasis for birds. In the midst of building, homes, and concrete - this cemetery is a bullseye for migrating birds looking to land and grab a meal. The cemetery provides a variety of trees, mostly deciduous. The trees are not too small, but not too tall either. The hilly terrain also makes it easy for a birder to see a bird in a tall tree than it is at a lower level. The cemetery itself provides a clean walkway throughout the grounds. In most circumstances a forest is hard to walk through with heavy undergrowth. This way you are not confined to the trail.
The day started with eleven of us walking around the cemetery. There were many other groups and individuals there as well. At many points people joined our group, at other times we joined other groups as a new bird was found in the area. For most of the morning we were chasing down a rare bird: the Kentucky Warbler. The bird’s migration does not include travelling this far north. For us, it was a lucky day that this bird had gone too far. It’s a pretty bird. Yellow underneath and olive green on top. Its head is yellow with olive green and has a black eyestripe wrapping that makes it unique to most other warblers. For me, it was a triumphant day when the bird finally ventured out of a set of trees to perch on a bare branch. That was it. That was the view. It’s that moment that turns someone just interested in birds into a real birder.
It’s the moment I experienced three years ago when I first went on a bird walk in Chicago. Now, I’ve only become more strange and more obsessed. On my quest to reach 200 this year I was eager to knock a few off my list in Mt. Auburn. In the end, it was just the Kentucky Warbler. I did see many birds I hadn’t even seen since Chicago like the Nashville Warbler and Northern Parula. For others it was the first time I would see them this year like the Baltimore Oriole and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We did miss out on a few birds that we heard there that day like the Canada Warbler and Northern Waterthrust. Both would have been lifebirds. But really, it’s not about the numbers. The trip was great! We got to see a lot of birds and have a lot of fun doing it.
Magic number: 29
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