Mount Auburn Cemetery brings back its Early-Bird Hours starting Wednesday, opening its main entrance daily at 6 a.m. for April and May. The day also marks the reopening of Washington Tower for the season, offering 360-degree views of the Boston area and Mount Auburn’s landscape. Visits are free.
Staff at the cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, got poetic Friday in announcing the hours, saying the early morning lets visitors take in the “soft glow of sunrise over the cemetery’s landscape and tree collections.”
The 175-acre Mount Auburn is a birding destination and a habitat for migratory and regional birds, and it is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Mass Audubon, staff said, where a “thoughtfully designed landscape, historic trees and diverse horticultural collections create a sanctuary for wildlife and visitors alike.”
Staff touted the possibilities for flora and fauna:
During early morning hours, visitors can spot a variety of colorful species, including warblers, indigo buntings and scarlet tanagers, as they move among the budding trees. Late April is ideal for beginners to catch sight of early arrivals, while May brings peak migration, with up to 100 species filling the cemetery with birdsong. These early hours reveal the first signs of spring – buds emerging, early blooms opening and birdsong filling the air. Walk among blossoming cherries, magnolias and daffodils in April, followed by crabapples, dogwoods and rhododendrons in May, as the landscape comes alive with color and fragrance.
It’s a way for visitors “to experience the serene beauty of the cemetery in the quiet early morning hours,” staff said, a reminder that 6 to 8 a.m. are also considered official cemetery quiet hours (though as a working cemetery, it is not known for being especially raucous).
Through May 14, the cemetery is open until 7 p.m.; from May 15-31, it is open until 8 p.m.
Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge
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