PLYMOUTH -- On Manomet Point in Plymouth, a high bluff with panoramic views of Cape Cod Bay, bird watchers from across Eastern Massachusetts braved wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour today to scan the horizon with binoculars. They said the storm presented a rare opportunity, with powerful northeasterly winds pushing bird species they normally don’t see into viewing range.

“We’re out in force,” said Steve Arena, a veteran birder from Westborough who parked his car at the edge of the bluff and sat studying the skies over the ocean from the shelter of the driver’s seat. “We’re here for the day.”