Canada Cruise, Day 1 - 21 Sep 2012


Boston Harbor

We arrived in Boston just before noon and got a shuttle to Boston Harbor, where we boarded the Norwegian Cruise Liner "Dawn" for a 7-day trip of the Northeast US and Canada.  Our gold-member status failed us during embarkation.  We were first in a special line for registration, but computer problems delayed us a half-hour.  The poor man that was trying to register us would have to make 4 trips to the other end of the terminal (100 yds each way) for administration help before we were able to board.  No problem on our part, but the poor guy was pushing 80...

After a quick lunch and a beer we headed down to (required) sinking practice.  This year the drill took place in the theatre, and noone was required to wear life preservers.  Instead, they demonstrated the drill  in case we needed to evacuate the ship.

Afterward, I walked the ship to see the sights of Boston Harbor.  The view from our cabin was less than stellar, but I was hearing a constant call from a Merlin in the parking lot. After a half-hour of failing to see any birds I concluded that it was a recording to keep the birds away from the buildings.



The other side of the ship had a better view of the harbor.  Great Black-backed Gulls were as common as Herring Gulls, with Double-crested Cormorants and a Belted Kingfisher rounding out my birding opportunity.  I spent a few minutes photographing some of the Herring Gulls that cruised by.  The GBBG's tended to stay to the opposite shore.



Our send-off was delayed an hour by a barge in the harbor.  It was apparently trying to blow up a large rock in the harbor, but the charges failed to detonate. They had to send divers down to investigate, but had to make sure it was safe for them.  So we went to dinner and didn't leave the harbor till after dark.

A passenger I met the following morning thought he saw a skua flying out of the harbor late in the day, but wasn't positive.

Boston Harbor, Suffolk, Massachusetts, US
Sep 21, 2012 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Canada Cruise Day 1; Disembarkment; NCL Dawn
3 species

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  12
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  12
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S100386442

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)