A trip along the East Coast is an animal lover's delight.

Cruising the waters of the U.S. East Coast on our 40-foot sailboat, Folly, we have willingly suffered the motoring required to transit the Intracoastal Waterway for the pleasure of experiencing the amazing wildlife, and especially bird life, on this journey. Over the past 15 years, my husband, John, and I have completed a circumnavigation in our Van de Stadt-designed sloop, built by ourselves in aluminum, but of all the waters we have visited, we are drawn back to one of our favorite cruising grounds — the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Used to the coastal and freshwater flora and fauna of England, we’ve been delighted by the tropical and exotic (to us) species that we have encountered on our voyages between southern Florida and Rhode Island. Motoring close to osprey chicks while they watch suspiciously from their nest on an ICW marker post, with heads nervously bobbing up and down, is such fun.

Our East Coast transits have been in the steamy heat of summer, in the freezing depths of winter and in the beautiful shoulder seasons of spring and fall, allowing us to enjoy both migratory species and year-round residents. Armed with our National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds (Eastern Section for North America), our boat binoculars (8x50) and a guide to flora and fauna, we have added to our enjoyment of the cultural attractions and wonderful landscapes of the East Coast.

Below is a brief description of our personal experience of a few of the many, many species that we have encountered, in the hope that you find as much pleasure in sharing the ICW with them as we have.

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