Boston wraps around a working harbor, and the ocean is never far from the wildlife. Harbor seals haul out on the islands, right whales pass offshore in spring, and the Charles River and the Fens pull in herons, cormorants, and wintering ducks. In the neighborhoods it is eastern gray squirrels, red-tailed hawks nesting on building ledges, and wild turkeys that have taken over some streets outright. The Arnold Arboretum and the harbor islands are the places to look.
Everything below is pulled live from recent research-grade observations near Boston. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.
216,585
recent observations
30
species listed
13
birds
9
plants
3
insects & arthropods
Naturalists have logged 216,585 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species near Boston. The most frequently seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel, with 13,819 recorded sightings.
Birds account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (13 of the species listed here), followed by plants (9).
Rarer finds confirmed near Boston include Spotted Wintergreen - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.