Guide

Go seeBirds

May migrant birds at Mount Auburn Cemetery

May

Mount Auburn Cemetery says May is when the peak abundance of migrant birds is found on its grounds, and its own timetable changes week by week, from kingbirds early in the month to Canada and mourning warblers at the end. The cemetery says its grounds are wheelchair accessible and walkers can use its roads, though paths in the historic core climb more steeply than those along the edge.

Why this time of year

Mount Auburn's May timetable, which the cemetery calls a rather unscientific schedule of when you might expect each bird, lists spotted sandpipers and eastern kingbirds in the first week, veeries and scarlet tanagers in the second, Swainson's thrushes in the third, and Canada and mourning warblers in the fourth. Its birding page says hundreds of birders come from mid-April to mid-May, and that the cemetery opens at 6 AM in the peak of spring migration.

How to notice it

  1. Go early and start around Halcyon Lake, Auburn Lake and Willow Pond, which the cemetery's timetable says are best early in the morning.
  2. Later in the morning, try the Dell; the timetable says the Dell is often better later in the morning, and by 10 AM birds tend to quiet down and begin to feed more.
  3. Keep the stroller to the roads and favor the perimeter, where the cemetery says roads and paths climb less steeply than in the historic core; many of its walking paths are grass or mulch. Give any funeral or memorial service plenty of room.
  4. Stay in a small, quiet group and do not touch or lean on monuments.

Try this with kids: Can you spot a bird moving in the treetops? Count how many different colors you can see on it.

Safety

  • Walkers share the cemetery roads with cars; Mount Auburn asks pedestrians to be mindful of passing vehicles.

Sources

  • mountauburn.orgMount Auburn 'A Timetable of Migration at Mount Auburn in May' (landowner, 2024-03-15): 'The month of May is when the peak abundance of migrant birds is found at Mount Auburn.' Week 1: Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird; week 2: Veery, Scarlet Tanager; week 3: Swainson's Thrush; week 4: Canada Warbler, Mourning Warbler. Halcyon and Auburn lakes and Willow Pond 'are best early'; the Dell better later, birds 'tend to quiet down and begin to feed more' around 10 AM. read 2026-11-10
  • mountauburn.orgMount Auburn 'Birds & Birding': peak activity mid-April to mid-May; move away from services; 'Please gather in only small quiet groups'; 'Avoid touching monuments and do not use them for tables or backrests'; 'Use paths to avoid trampling natural plantings'. read 2026-11-10
  • mountauburn.orgMount Auburn: 'The grounds, public restrooms, office and Visitors Center are handicap / wheelchair accessible.' read 2026-11-10
  • mountauburn.orgMount Auburn directions page: 'Walkers have access to our roads and an extensive network of walking-only paths.' 'Though some are paved, many paths are made of grass or mulch.' 'Those within the historic core have steeper inclines than those along our perimeter.' 'When walking on our roads, pedestrians should be mindful of passing vehicles.' read 2026-11-10

Checked against these sources on November 10, 2026.

In the guide for May

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