Welcome to your ultimate guide to bird watching groups in Massachusetts! We’ve rounded up clubs, meetups, and communities where birders of all levels can connect, learn, and explore the outdoors together.

Bird watching groups are growing in popularity, and new ones are taking flight all the time. If you don’t see a group in your area yet, don’t worry–you can always start one yourself! Post flyers at work or around your neighborhood, share a note on community apps like Nextdoor, or set up a simple local meetup. That’s exactly how we’re building a new singles bird watching group in Boston to mingle without the cost of split bills and dating app burnout.

Massachusetts already has many wonderful bird watching groups with opportunities for community, connection, and education. These groups welcome birders of all ages and backgrounds. And if you happen to be nearby, you can even join me for one of my singles bird watching walks!

Statewide in Massachusetts

Association of Massachusetts Bird Clubs (AMBC) / MassBird

Many of the bird watching groups in Massachusetts are part of the AMBC. There are actually 22 member clubs in the state which are listed below.

Massachusetts Young Birders Club (MYBC)

Eastern MA and Boston

Brookline Bird Club - Greater Boston Area

The largest, and one of the oldest and most active of the bird clubs in the US. Membership is open to all who are interested in birds and nature. During the peak of spring migration, walks are scheduled for every day of the week.

Other perks include loaner binoculars, beginner and mobility impaired walks, and field trips. Paid membership not required. Unless otherwise stated, field trips and webinars are open to all participants and are free to attend.

Allston-Brighton Birders - Allston / Brighton

Somerville Birding Club - Somerville

SMFA Tufts Bird Club - Medford / Somerville / Greater Boston

Essex County Ornithological Club (ECOC) - Salem, MA area

Established in 1916, we promote ornithological study in Essex County, and conservation. We also maintain a long tradition of holding an annual May bird census by canoe and on foot on and along the Ipswich River and present speakers and organize field trips.

Membership fee required.

Merrimack Valley Bird Club - Northeast / North Shore

The Merrimack Valley Bird Club has been exploring the Merrimack Valley and North Shore since 1948. We are a welcoming club open to all who have an interest in birding. New members are welcome.

Membership is free.

Feminist Bird Club - Greater Boston

Join the Boston chapter on Facebook or use their website to learn more. This club has chapters all throughout the United States and even some “sibling” clubs in other countries!

Menotomy Bird Club - Arlington / Greater Boston

Menotomy Bird Club was formed in 2003 and is based in Arlington and the surrounding communities. Monthly meetings are held at the Jenks Center in Winchester on Tuesday evenings.

Mass Art Bird Club

Paskamansett Bird Club - Dartmouth / South Coast

The Paskamansett Bird Club was established in 1963 to offer a gathering place for birding enthusiasts. Our group includes people ranging from the casual bird watcher to the avian obsessed…backyard birders to serious adventurers.

South Shore Bird Club (SSBC) - South Shore / Plymouth area

A Google Group has now been set up. It’s easy to join, a tutorial can be found here. Once you have joined, you can use it to share and discuss bird sightings or carpool to a meeting place.

Paid memberships for the club are available but not required for bird watching walks and field trips.

Cape Cod Bird Club

Paid memberships for the club are available but not required for bird watching walks and field trips.

Eastern Massachusetts Birders

Nuttall Ornithological Club - Cambridge / Greater Boston

Not specific to bird watching or birding walks, but it was founded in 1873 as the first organization in North America devoted to ornithology. The club is focused on ornithological literature. Meetings are held monthly at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and feature speakers from all areas of ornithological expertise.

Wellesley Birders

Nasketucket Bird Club Mattapoisett / Plymouth

Come and join us on one of our bi-monthly scheduled outings, or at one of our monthly scheduled programs. All outings and programs are free and open to everyone.

Plymouth Bird Watchers

Harvard Medical School / Harvard School of Dental Medicine Birdwatchers

It seems that Harvard Medical School has a bird watching group for its current students and faculty but there’s little information about it other than this article in 2021 that explains how bird watching helps with burnout.

Boxborough Birders - Boxborough / Middlesex County

While technically outside of Worcester county, the Boxborough Birders is just as close to Worcester as it is to Boston. Membership is free.

The group organizes walks throughout the year, especially during spring and fall migration, and members post their observations (and often photos) from each scheduled walk to eBird as well as shares lists with group members via the Boxborough Birders Google group

Martha's Vineyard Bird Club

They offer 2 free bird watching group walks each month. The other bird watching groups, birding 101 walks, are an introduction to birding and are focused on helping beginning birders build their skills. Leaders will have binoculars and field guides to loan.

Paid membership has a sliding fee scale and is not required for free bird watching group walks.

Central MA

Forbush Bird Club - Worcester / Central MA

Go for bird watching walks to observe and identify birds and appreciate their natural settings. Birders of all experience levels are welcome!

Paid membership.

Central Mass Birders - Worcester / Middlesex County

Athol Bird & Nature Club - Worcester County

Sharing an appreciation of nature through birding, geology, astronomy, plants and more in the North Quabbin area.

Offers a number of bird watching walks and field trips. Paid membership.

Ware River Nature Club - Ware / Worcester County

Western MA

Hampshire Bird Club - Hadley / Amherst

Our focus is on education, but not in a buttoned up, stuffy way. We’re inviting, accessible, and, dare we say, fun! Anyone, including members and those soon to be, will benefit from the events that run year round both online and in-person.

Has a bird watching 101 workshop called Birding For Everyone (BFE).

Paid membership required but a hardship waiver is available.

Allen Bird Club - Springfield

Anti-racist Collective of Avid Birders

Established 2020 and chapter of the feminist bird club in western Mass. Check out their instagram here!

Hoffmann Bird Club - Pittsfield / Berkshire region

Meetings are held from September through May and are open at no charge to anyone interested in birds and birding. Experienced birders lead field trips, and beginners are always welcome.

Northfield Bird Club

Eastern Mass Hawk Watch

An all-volunteer, member-based organization whose mission is to promote the study, conservation and preservation of hawks locally and on a continental scale by monitoring migration in Massachusetts.

Paid membership required.

Bird Observer

They publish original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, book reviews and field notes, bird sightings, photographs, and artwork.

Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC)

MARC’s goal is to collect, archive and share information and analysis regarding rare birds in Massachusetts.

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Now that you know about all of the bird watching groups near you there are a few more bits of information to get you started with birding. It’s important to respect the birds and other wildlife as well as the people you're with so here is a crash course in bird watching groups and etiquette.

Register for events

Many times groups withhold location details unless you register. Sometimes all the information is online but so many of these birdwatching groups are volunteer run but some are paid to lead bird watching walks. Registering for the event gives leaders a headcount, and if none or few people register, they might cancel the event without you knowing.

Learn basic birdwatching terms

Birding is the act of bird watching while birders are the people who participate.

Field trips are organized group outings where you bird watch with other people. These bird watching groups often have field trips, or what I’ve been calling, bird walks since there’s often a lot of walking.

A spark bird is whatever bird or species that sparked your interest in bird watching. You’ll need a decent pair of bins– short for binoculars– to really see anything.

There may be birders in your bird watching groups that pish, or imitate bird calls, to draw out birds on your field trip.

There’s plenty more jargon to learn but you can pick it up over time in your bird watching group.

Do not feed birds bread

Bread is poor in nutrition for birds of all kinds. It’s also very filling which is doubly bad because they fill up on low quality food and miss out on the nutrient dense food they need to survive.

Save your stale bread for bread pudding instead.

Pack it in, pack it out

Minimizing our ecological impact is an essential part of bird watching. Always pack out what you bring in. Trash of any kind should go home with you for proper disposal. This helps protect habitats from pollution and prevents human presence from altering wildlife behavior.

For example, leaving food behind can disrupt natural eating patterns, creating unhealthy dependence on humans for survival. In some cases, like with bears, this can even lead to dangerous behavior that results in the animals being put down.

Keep to the trails

Not only does staying on trails reduce harm to the fragile ecosystems in marked areas but birds of prey like raptors can be viscous during nesting season. The peregrine falcons in Acadia National Park, for example, are highly territorial and protective of their young just like a mother bear. Birds will defend their nest and young by targeting your head, so it’s best to stay at a safe distance.