Guide

Go seeBirds

Wood ducks and beaver dams along the Nashua River Rail Trail

March to June

Mass Audubon credits the return of beavers to Massachusetts, along with a 1918 bird-protection treaty, for the spread of wood ducks, and the Nashua River Watershed Association says a day on the Nashua River Rail Trail may bring a sighting of wood ducks and beaver dams. DCR, which manages the trail, lists it as wheelchair accessible, and the watershed association calls the flat trail perfect for strollers.

Why this time of year

Mass Audubon's breeding bird atlas says wood ducks arrive in Massachusetts in early to mid-March, start nesting around the last week of March in the southeast and about a week later elsewhere, and hatch broods from about May 10 into July.

How to notice it

  1. Walk the trail slowly where it passes open water or beaver dams, and scan the far edges for ducks.
  2. Check trees near the water too. Wood ducks nest in cavities in living trees and standing dead snags, and readily use nest boxes.
  3. From mid-May on, look for a hen leading a line of ducklings along the edge. The atlas says ducklings leave the nest 24 to 36 hours after hatching and the hen leads them to water.
  4. Keep right, as DCR asks. The trail is shared with bikes, rollerbladers and horses.

Try this with kids: Find a hole high in a tree near the water. Could a duck fit in there?

Safety

  • DCR says the trail is open to bikes, rollerblading and horseback riding, and asks users to keep right unless passing. Keep strollers and kids to the right and listen for riders coming up behind you.

Sources

  • nashuariverwatershed.orgRead 2026-11-10. Nashua River Watershed Association, page 'Rail Trails: Offering a Multitude of Accessible Recreation Options', no post date, footer (c) 2026 (regional nonprofit; trail organization, used for surface and the sightings list): 'an 11-mile paved trail running from the center of Ayer, through Groton and Pepperell, to Nashua, New Hampshire.' 'The trail is flat with only a gradual grade making it perfect for biking at any age (also perfect for strollers, wheelchairs, walking, or rollerblading).' 'A day on the trail may bring you a sighting of a Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Wood Ducks, swans, beaver dams, and more.'
  • freedomsway.orgRead 2026-11-10. Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, 'in partnership with the National Park Service' (secondary): 'The Nashua River Rail Trail is a 12.5-mile paved mixed-use rail trail' 'under control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)'; 'roughly follows the course of the Nashua River'.
  • massaudubon.orgRead 2026-11-10. Mass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 1 (primary): wood ducks 'arrive in Massachusetts in early to mid-March'; 'Nesting commences the last week of March in southeastern Massachusetts', roughly a week later elsewhere; hatch windows May 10-31, June 1-21, June 22-July 19; 'Ducklings leave the nest 24 to 36 hours after hatching'; ducklings 'jump out of the entrance in response to their mother's call', sometimes falling 40 feet or more without injury; 'Strictly a cavity nester... both living trees and standing snags'; 'adapt readily to nest boxes'.
  • massaudubon.orgRead 2026-11-10. Mass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 2 (primary): Wood Duck 'Very widespread and likely increasing'; credits the 'reintroduction of the beaver to Massachusetts in the 1930s'; the biggest gains between atlases were in the central part of the state.
  • web.archive.orgDCR Nashua River Rail Trail page (Wayback 2026-10-24): 'Wheelchair Accessible'; Accessibility 'Accessible bike path'; 'open to walking, rollerblading and horseback riding'; 'Keep right unless passing.' read 2026-11-10

Checked against these sources on November 10, 2026.

In the guide for March, April, May, June

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