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Bird-Watching & Nature Observation
Forests, marshes, and abundant waterways offer a rich habitat for plants and wildlife. Look especially for songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and eagles – just a few of the hundreds of bird species in Maryland. (More than 350 species have been recorded in Worcester County alone!)
Several county tourism offices have developed their own birding brochures featuring local hot spots. In addition, about three dozen wildlife management areas across the state total more than 104,000 acres, offering a variety of unsurpassed wildlife viewing opportunities.
Western Maryland
- The 9,500-acre Dans Mountain Wildlife Management Area is home to the largest contiguous state-owned forest in Maryland – a prime habitat shelter for the scarlet tanager, yellow-throated vireo, ovenbird, and many species of songbirds. You are also treated to a breathtaking view of the North Branch of the Potomac River and its forested valley.
- A boardwalk and six trails through the Cranesville Subartic Swamp lead to unique species of plants and animals common in northern areas of the United States and Canada.
Capital Region
- More than 200 species of birds have been documented at the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area, bordering the C&O Canal in Montgomery County. During the fall and winter, “green tree reservoirs” host wood ducks and other migratory waterfowl, while wild turkeys strut through the forests and fields.
- In addition to having a state-of-the-art visitors center, the Patuxent Research Refuge provides a year-round habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and songbirds. Look (and listen) for woodpeckers, great blue herons, and white-tailed deer. - Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary serves as the wintering ground for 5,000 or more Canada geese, the largest concentration on the Chesapeake Bay’s western shore. Most usually arrive in mid-October and stay as late as March. Bluebirds and various songbirds are common along sanctuary trails, while heron prowl neighboring ponds. Summer finds hummingbirds, finches, and purple martins, as well as ospreys that nest near the visitors center.
Central Maryland
- Carroll County’s Hugg-Thomas Wildlife Management Area is a haven for warblers that visit along with other forest songbirds during spring and fall migration. This favorite haunt for local bird clubs is also a winter feeding ground for hawks and owls. Access is Sunday-only during hunting seasons.
- The Hereford Wildlands section of Gunpowder Falls State Park may be the most scenic area in the Baltimore region, with steep-sided valleys and rugged, rocky trails reminiscent of Western Maryland. An upland forest habitat is favored by neotropical migrants like Carolina Chickadees and indigo buntings, along with various woodpeckers and warblers.
- A major hawk migration route in the autumn, the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenways Trail has wooded wetlands where wildflowers and songbirds thrive. Plus, the Conowingo Dam, recognized as a “great birding site” by Birder's World magazine, offers an ice-free winter feeding place for gulls, osprey, and even bald eagles. A great blue heron rookery can be seen from the trail, while interpretive signs provide descriptions of flora and fauna, such as rare red trillium.
Southern Maryland
- Nearly 400 acres along Chicamuxen Creek in Charles County draw a wide variety of waterfowl species, from American black ducks, gadwall, and mallards to buffleheads and hooded mergansers. Bald eagles often hunt the marshes and upland areas, while numerous birds settle in the forest interior during nesting season.
- The Bowen Wildlife Management Area, which is accessible only by boat, consists mostly of tidal marsh coveted by migrating and wintering waterfowl. Black ducks, mallards, American wigeon, canvasbacks, lesser scaup, buffleheads, and wood ducks are often seen resting and feeding here. Slim-bodied rails stalk the grasses for aquatic insects. - Short trails, bridges, and piers allow you to observe eagles, owls, and great blue heron around Smallwood State Park. Mallows Bay, which stretches between Smallwood and Purse state parks, features one of the largest “ship graveyards” in the country. Vessels date from the period of the American Revolution through World War I, and many have become islands with their own mini-ecosystems. - An elevated boardwalk at the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary brings you up close to the northernmost bald cypress swamp.
Eastern Shore
- Two national wildlife refuges – Blackwater and Eastern Neck – feature major nesting populations of bald eagles that often share the landscape with migrating waterfowl and hundreds of other bird species. The refuges also have amenities such as boardwalks and observation areas, designed especially for viewing wildlife.
- Extensive wetland and upland replenishment efforts have brought life back to Poplar Island, located on the bay near Tilghman Island. Cormorants are here in abundance, joined by ospreys, egrets, terns, and more.
- The Jean Ellen du Pont Shehan Audubon Sanctuary, one of several Audubon properties in the state, is located on a 950-acre peninsula, with eight miles of shoreline and 10 miles of trails, ponds, meadows, forests, and wetlands. Weekly programs include everything from birdwalks to canoeing.
- One of the best places in Maryland to watch and photograph shorebirds, ducks and geese is on Deal Island. It also boasts one of two breeding populations of black-necked stilts in Maryland. You might even glimpse the rare European widgeon feeding alongside its American counterpart.
- The Wildfowl Trust of North America’s Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, covering 500 acres just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, has trails that lead to natural areas on the bay and circle ponds that have been designed to re-create diverse habitats.
HIDDEN GEM: April through September, the Pocomoke Sound Wildlife Management Area hosts bird enthusiasts who come from miles around to see the glossy ibis probing its long bill in the mud for worms and other small marine life. Also look for herons, egrets, ducks, ospreys, and even barn owls.
- Located on Assateague Island, Maryland’s only oceanside state park has been identified by National Geographic Traveler magazine as one of the 10 best state parks in the nation. The marsh areas of this mile-long barrier island, which also includes a national seashore area, feature a variety of wildlife, including deer and free-roaming ponies. It’s also a refuge for brown pelicans, oystercatchers, gulls, and piping plovers. For an organized list of birds to look for while visiting this area, go to http://assateagueisland.com/birdwatching/birdwatching.htm.
- Incredible bird-watching occurs month after month along Worcester County trails that lead to forests, tidal wetlands, the Pocomoke Cypress Swamp (where flocks of up to 50 bald eagles have been known to congregate), and secluded fields.
LEAF-PEEPING (seasonal)
- A Fall Foliage Hotline can be reached at 1-800-LEAVES-1 (1-800-532-8371).
BIRD-WATCHING RESOURCES
Other Destinations
- Get back to nature at sites listed in the front sections of this travel guide:
Arboretums
- Adkins Arboretum
- American Chestnut Land Trust
- Cylburn Arboretum
Farms/Petting Zoos
- Applewood Farm
- Bietschehof Farm
- Briar Patch Bunnies
- Chesapeake Farms
- Horizon Organic Farm & Education Center
- The Learning Farm
- Oxon Hill Farm
- Quaker Hill Farm
Gardens
- Annmarie Garden on St. John
- Brookside Gardens
- Historic London Town and Gardens
- Ladew Topiary Gardens
- Lilypons Water Gardens
- McCrillis Gardens and Gallery
- Mt. Harmon Plantation
- Sherwood Gardens
- Sinking Springs Herb Farm
Museums
- Calvert Marine Museum
- Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
- Havre de Grace Decoy Museum
- Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
Nature Centers & Parks
- Clearwater Nature Center
- Flag Ponds Nature Park
- Kings Landing Park
- Oregon Ridge Nature Center
- Piney Run Park and Nature Center
Research & Discovery Areas
- Academy of Natural Sciences
- Albert Powell Trout Hatchery
- Bear Creek Fish Rearing Station
- Chesapeake Biological Lab Visitor Center
- Chesapeake Exploration Center
- Discovery Center ( Deep Creek Lake)
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Zoos/Wildlife Preserves
- Baltimore Zoo
- Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo
- Plumpton Park Zoo
- Salisbury Zoo and Park
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