Shorebirds, Seabirds, and Songbirds on Cape Cod
September 7  – 10 | $1250 ($300 single supplement)
Guide: Chip Darmstadt
7 participants maximum
Contact us to sign up

After the summer beach crowds clear out, Cape Cod is certainly for the birds. Shorebirds, seabird, raptors and songbirds are plentiful on the Cape, and migration is in full swing. We’ll explore some of the most scenic and bird-rich hotspots on the Cape– Race Point, Wellfleet Bay, Monomoy (Morris Island) and more. This trip is about watching, enjoying, and studying seabirds and shorebirds among a community of like-minded nature lovers under the leadership of a first-class guide and educator.

We’ll depart NBNC on Thursday morning for a long weekend of birding, featuring coastal regulars and rarities as Piping Plover, jaegers, shearwaters, Saltmarsh Sparrrow, Roseate Tern, Marbled Godwit and Red Knot. 

On Friday and Saturday, we’ll spend much of our time in the Wellfleet and Provincetown area. At Race Point, congregations of Roseate and Common Terns roost on the beach, etc, while Hump-backed Whales can often be seen right from shore.. Walking the beach towards the tip of Race Point we may see up to 4 species of shearwater (Great, Sooty, Manx and Cory’s), Parasitic Jaeger, Northern Gannet and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel. Deep ocean waters come quite close to shore at Race Point, bringing seabirds close in for easy viewing and no risk of seasickness! Only a short distance away, a trail through beech forest at the National Seashore harbors migrating warblers, vireos, thrushes and tanagers. Surprises are always a possibility, like Little or Sabine’s Gull, Pomarine Jaeger, Connecticut Warbler and Western Kingbird.

After some early morning birding to look for migrating warblers, we arrive back in Montpelier on Sunday afternoon.

Led by Birding Ambassador and NBNC Executive Director Emeritus, Chip Darmstadt.

Includes: 3 nights lodging, all transportation, all food, shared optics (scopes and binoculars), and expert bird guide.

Ready to go to Cape Cod?

Email [email protected] to get signed up.

Payment Schedule

• A $500 deposit is required to reserve your space on the trip.
• The trip balance will be due 3 months before the departure date.
• Single travelers must include the single supplement fee with the trip balance. Single rooms are limited on this itinerary, so please confirm with us that your request for a single room can be accommodated before sending payment.

All payments can be made via check to: NBNC, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VT 05602

Cancellation Policies

We understand that incidents and emergencies arise that may force you to cancel your trip. However, NBNC invests considerable time and, in many cases, non-refundable payments to lodges and local contractors to secure our rooms and programming. NBNC aims to be as flexible as possible in our refund policy, but a full refund of your payments may not be possible after the dates indicated. All cancellations must be made via email to NBNC.

• Cancellation more than 180 days before the trip: Full refund of all payments.
• Cancellation 90-180 days before the trip: Refund of any payments minus the $500 deposit. If your space is filled by another traveler, we will also refund your deposit.
• Cancellation 30-90 days before the trip: No refund guaranteed. If your space is filled by another traveler, we will provide a full refund minus the $500 deposit.
• Cancellation less than 30 days before the trip: No refunds guaranteed.