Get out on the water, and keep your eye to the sky! Westport offers beautiful views and great opportunities for birders in the region.

Boating

DEC boat launch on Route 22 in the village of Westport. Hard surface ramp with parking for 35 cars and trailers.

Birding

Westport’s position on North West Bay is optimal for finding wintering and migrating waterfowl and other species along the lake. Look for many duck species including common and Barrow’s goldeneye, greater and lesser scaup, bufflehead, and common and hooded mergansers.

The boat launch (restrooms open year round) offers good views of the water, and a variety of woodpeckers, cardinals, and other forest birds can be found in the nearby patches of woods year round. Keep your eyes open on fruit trees in town too which in fall and winter can attract species such as bohemian waxwings and American robins, and in the right year, pine grosbeaks.

And don’t forget to scan the horizon for bald eagles, which are frequently sighted in the area.