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The most beautiful shorelines are the rocky shoreline with its high cliffs made of metamorphic and granite rock along the Maine coast to Canada that offer nesting and feeding sites for cliff-dwelling birds.
Many species of cliff-dwelling birds such as Common Murres, Auks, Northern Gannets and Atlantic Puffins can be seen in numerous clusters on the ledges where they lay their eggs and feed their young. Razorbills also visit the Eastern Rocky Shorelines in the winter and migrate southward after severe cold spells.
The Atlantic Puffin swims and dives feeding on crustaceans, mollusks and small fish which are caught near the surface and taken back to the young who burrow above the rocky ledges.
Northern Gannets live among the Auks on the same cliffs. Gannets dive from heights of 50 feet or more with their wings partly outstretched and then folds them tightly right before hitting the water. Once a Gannet dives for food, the other Gannets follow suit.
Gulf Shores:
The Gulf of Mexico covers approximately 615,000 square miles and extends from the tip of Florida to Eastern Texas. The Gulf includes mangrove swamps, sandy beaches, salt marshes and coral shores. The Gulf is complex with the tides, frequently receive hurricanes, the flow of ten (10) major rivers, barometric and atmospheric pressure changes and water temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees F.
Royal Terns, Caspian Terns, Clapper Rails, and Marsh Wrens are among the resident birds of the Gulf. There are not very many birds who spend their lives along the Gulf coast, but other birds such as the Horned Grebe from the North visit in the winter when waters are frozen. Sandpipers, Dowitchers and other shorebirds migrate in the fall to the Gulf.
Open Ocean:
The open ocean is becoming a very popular birdwatching activity with organizations offering pelagic birding trips. This is the best place to see seabirds with their great soaring powers.
The most abundant pelagic birds are the Shearwaters, Petrels and the Albatrosses which are accidental species in the Eastern US. These seabirds drink salt water and have special glands above their eyes that filter salt from their blood stream. Most seabirds are fish eaters who snatch their food from the surface or slightly dipping beneath the waves.
(Not all birds are listed)
| Birds | Breeding Facts | Number of Broods |
| Atlantic Puffin | Early June | 1 |
| Black-legged Kittiwake | Begins mid June and ends early August | 1 |
| Black Scoter | Begins mid June and ends mid September | 1 |
| Common Eider | Late May through late June | 1 |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Early March to mid June | 1* |
| Devekie | Mid June | 1 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Mid April | 1 |
| Harlequin Duck | Mid May through late June | 1 |
| Herring Gull | Early May to mid June and ends by early August | 1 |
| Northern Gannet | Mid April through May | 1 |
| Oldsquaw | Late May through June | 1 |
| Razorbill | Early June | 1 |
| Surf Scoter | Mid June | 1 |
| White-winged Scoter | Mid June | 1 |
(Not all birds are listed)
| Birds | Breeding Facts | Number of Broods |
| Anhinga | April in North, year-round in Florida | |
| Black-whiskered Vireo | Begins late May and ends early September | 1-2 |
| Bonaparte's Gull | Mid June | 1 |
| Clapper Rail | Mid March to mid April and ends late August | 1* |
| Greater Scaup | Late May to mid Juen | 1 |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Between February and May | 1 |
| Marbled Godwit | Begins mid May to end of May | 1 |
| Purple Gallinule | Early to mid April | 1 |
| Redhead | Late April to early June | 1 |
| Roseate Spoonbill | November | 1* |
| Seaside Sparrow | Mid April to early May and ending early July | 3 |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Late May to early August | 1 |
| Snowy Egret | Late March to mid May | 1 |
| Snowy Plover | Mid March to early May | 2 |
| Sora | Late April to late May | 1 |
(Not all birds are listed)
| Birds | Breeding Facts | Number of Broods |
| Black Scoter | Begins mid June and ends mid September | 1 |
| Common Eider | Late May through late June | 1 |
| Cory's Shearwater | Late April through June | 1 |
| Greater Shearwater | November | 1 |
| Harlequin Duck | Mid May through late June | 1 |
| King Eider | Mid June through mid July | 1 |
| Northern Fulmar | Mid May to late September | 1 |
| Parasitic Jaeger | Begins early June | 1 |
| Oldsquaw | Late May through June | 1 |
| Surf Scoter | Mid June | 1 |
| White-winged Scoter | Mid June | 1 |
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