They say you should never guarantee a bird, but every time I’ve visited the Rockport Headlands in winter, I’ve had stunning views of flocks of Harlequin Duck, North America’s only torrent duck.

Ideal for winter sea watching, the headlands comprise three sites that are within two miles of each other: Halibut Point State Park, Andrews Point, and Cathedral Rocks. They’re all part of a granite outcrop that juts into Ipswich Bay. Here I saw my first King Eider, Pacific Loon, Northern Gannet, Common and Thick-billed Murres, and Dovekie, species definitely not guaranteed and seen only with good fortune, along with the more common Harlequin, Razorbill, Great Cormorant, Common Eider, Common and Red-throated Loons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Long-tailed Duck, three scoter species, and other waterfowl.

I often find Purple Sandpiper flocks on the rocks below promontories, while the heathland and thickets of Halibut Point are worth checking for uncommon winter passerines like Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern Shrike, or irruptive Bohemian Waxwings.