The birds: our biggest attraction?

Ari's comment on my last post but one has prompted me to point out something I've noticed every spring, summer, fall and winter here in Newburyport:

I see more people with out-of-state license plates stopped along the PI Turnpike, occupants with binoculars trained on the marsh, than I see trundling around downtown with bags and bundles full of items purchased at the boutiques. These people mostly eat at Bob Lobster and they shop at the gift shop at the Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center.

Only one of those places (Joppa Flats) is within Newburyport. There are no restaurants in Newburyport beyond The Tannery Mall. I don't believe that place out at the Point is a sitdown restaurant.

Now, I love Bob Lobster and congratulate the owners on the eatery's popularity, but why oh why does not Newburyport capitalize, or even especially welcome, the birdwatchers? I think it's the #1 hobby in the nation.

Audubon has a huge event, the Superbowl of Birding, every January. I don't see any extra effort taken by the city to make the place more welcoming to the hundreds of people who come from all over to take part in this event.

Just think of all the artists and artisans who produce works revolving around the bird(s). Photographers, people who work in clay, painters ...

Someone at the Current had the great idea for a publicity stunt of having an avid birwatcher who is not a football fan watch the football Superbowl with a bunch of fans and having a football fan who is not a bird person go birdwatching with an Audubon group. We could not pull it off in time but what a great way to publicize one of the most popular attractions to the area, no?

As it turned out, there was nothing in the Current at all this year about the Superbowl of Birding.

You would not believe how many people eating at Bob Lobster jump up from their meals and race to the windows at the cry of "hawk! hawk!"