Saturday, May 11

Registration is open for the 2024 Baltimore Birding Weekend!

MORNING TRIPS

Cox Creek/Swan Creek Wetlands (HIKING)
Time: 7:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Tim Carney & Scott Housten
Meeting Location: 1000 Kembo Road, Curtis Bay, MD 21226 – meet in parking area near office. Use GPS Coordinates: 39.196130, -76.542423

Visitors to Cox Creek/Swan Creek Wetlands must wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles (no open-toe shoes or thin soles). All guests must depart the site immediately at the end of the field trip. If you are not driving yourself, please make certain your ride is able to pick you up at the time the tour ends.

Marsh Wren. Photo credit: Hugh Simmons.

The Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) is located just south of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, on the western shore of the Patapsco River. Thanks to the Maryland Environmental Service and partners, an 11.3-acre mitigated tidal wetland and 115-acre forest conservation easement have been created downstream of the Swan Creek Watershed. This mitigation area includes open water, low marsh and high marsh, and provides habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. Participants must sign a waiver prior to entering the facility, and all must be prepared for hiking on muddy trails with at least one shallow-water stream crossing. Restrooms may be available at the beginning of the tour. For eBird sightings in May, click here.

Herring Run Park (HIKING)
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Kim Tomko & Bud Poole
Meeting Location: Across the street from the St Francis of Assisi School, located at 3617 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21218. Meet on the Herring Run Trail at the corner of Harford Road and Chesterfield Ave. Use GPS Coordinates: 39.331312, -76.579207

Herring Run Park is a 375-acre forested treasure in the middle of Baltimore City. The park is the site of an archaeology project that’s been running since 2014. The woodlands that border the Herring Run stream valley provide habitat for species such as Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, and Great Crested Flycatcher. Common Ravens nest just upstream from the park and are often seen or heard flying over. This trip will feature up to 2.5 miles of hiking on slightly hilly park paths. Restrooms unavailable. For eBird sightings in May, click here.

Gwynns Falls Leakin Park (HIKING)
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Nico Sarbanes & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: parking lot of the Winans Meadow Trailhead. Use GPS coordinates: 39.30457, -76.69368

Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photo credit: Hugh Simmons.

The forests of Gwynns Falls Leakin Park are brimming with birds in May. This field trip will begin at the Winans Meadow Trailhead along the Gwynns Falls Trail. Birders will hike in the mature hardwood forest, and may drive to another trailhead in the park to search for more birds. This trip will include up to three miles of hiking along hilly nature trails. Restrooms available. For eBird sightings in May, click here.

AFTERNOON TRIPS

Fort McHenry (HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Nico Sarbanes & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: 2400 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore , MD 21230. Please park in the grass & gravel parking area on the left as you enter. Use GPS Coordinates: 39.265102, -76.581476

The Fort McHenry field trip is sold out. If you want to be added to the waitlist, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number in your party. If someone cancels, we may be able to add you.

Eastern Kingbird. Photo credit: Hugh Simmons.

“O say can you see…the Eastern Kingbird perched at 9 o’clock on that snag?” Fort McHenry is one of Baltimore’s most notable landmarks, and one the best birding hotspots in all of Maryland. Species seen during this trip may include Osprey and terns over the water, Great Blue Heron and shorebirds near the marsh, and several species of warbler, vireo and flycatcher in the trees. This hike will feature up to two miles of hiking on Fort McHenry’s pathways. Restrooms available at Fort McHenry. For eBird sightings in May, click here.

Green Mount Cemetery (HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:45 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Scott Housten & Guide TBD
Meeting Location: 1501 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21202 – you may drive through the entrance and park along the road; your guides will meet you just inside the entrance. Use GPS coordinates: 39.307218, -76.608252

Green Mount Cemetery is a place of national significance. Please help us maintain its beauty and dignity by observing these rules of etiquette. A printed copy of the sign-in sheet will be provided at the beginning of your tour.

One of the oldest cemeteries in the United States is one of Baltimore’s newest eBird hotspots! Join us for a walk through some of the most famous gravesites in Baltimore. Green Mount Cemetery is the final resting place for Johns Hopkins, Enoch Pratt and eight Maryland Governors, as well as John Wilkes Booth, assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, and Elijah Bond, inventor of the ouija board. This hike includes up to three miles of hiking along paved paths. Restrooms unavailable. For eBird sightings in May, click here.

TALLY RALLY

Tally Rally at Union Craft Brewing (SOCIAL)
Time: 4:30 – 6:30 pm
Cost: free, but RSVP is required – please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number in your party
Meeting Location: 1700 West 41st Street #420, Baltimore, MD 21211 – meet guides and birders outside on the patio

Tally Rally at Union Brewery. Photo credit: Luke Franke/Audubon

The Baltimore Birding Weekend is more than a great opportunity to explore the city and see local and migratory birds…it is also a time to meet local birders! Birders will enjoy great food and craft beer at Union Craft Brewing. See what birds have been reported on the Friday and Saturday BBW trips, and chat with our guides about Baltimore’s  birding hotspots. Join us to swap birding stories and add to the BBW checklist for the weekend. The Tally Rally at Union Craft Brewery will be held outside on the patio if the weather is pleasant. Please note: Kids are welcome but must remain with you. 

Only for the Baltimore Birding Weekend Tally Rally! Courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Press, we will hold a raffle to win copies of Bruce Beehler’s newest book, Birds of North America, and his comprehensive volume Birds of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Raffle tickets will be provided at Union Brewing to those who RSVP for the Tally Rally. The drawing will be held at 5:30 pm. Must be present to win. To RSVP, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number in your party.

If you want to order either book directly from Hopkins Press with a 30% promo code, please click these links for details: Birds of North America and Birds of Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

Please note:

  • No cancellations are accepted after May 1, 2024. For a further explanation of our refund policy, please click here.
  • Trips will go rain or shine, unless torrential rains or dangerous conditions prevent us from viewing wildlife.
  • If the trip is canceled, we will notify you via email. Please note that the email will be sent to all participants BCC, so you may need to check your email spam folder. A full refund will be provided within 15 days.