Saturday, May 9
We’re excited for spring migration in Baltimore! Registration is open for the 10th Annual Baltimore Birding Weekend.
MORNING TRIPS
Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility (HIKING)
Time: 7:30 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Tim Carney & Scott Housten
Meeting Location: You will meet Scott Housten in the parking lot at Middle Branch Park, located at 3301 Waterview Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230. After Scott checks everyone in, the group will caravan for a 7-minute drive to meet Tim Carney at the Masonville DMCF at 7:50 am. Detailed directions will be provided before May 9.
Visitors to Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) 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.
Located along the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River near the Hanover Street Bridge, the Masonville Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) is adjacent to the Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center. This site is restricted access only, but we have been given special permission to tour the facility on May 9.
Thanks to restoration efforts by MES and partners, this 101-acre facility offers shallow-water and mudflat habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. Participants must sign a waiver prior to entering the facility, and all must be prepared for hiking on muddy trails. Restrooms may be available at the beginning of the tour.
Herring Run Park (HIKING)
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 am
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Bud Poole & Eric Fishel
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.
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
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.
AFTERNOON TRIPS
Fort McHenry & Wetlands Trail (HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $45/person; cost includes access to the restricted wetlands trail managed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore
Guides: Nico Sarbanes, Dan Cullen (National Aquarium) & Guide TBD
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
Visitors hiking the wetlands trail at Fort McHenry must wear closed-toe shoes with sturdy soles (no open-toe shoes or thin soles).
Update (posted at 5:00 am on Saturday, April 11): The Fort McHenry trip is sold out.
We often have cancellations before the tour. If you would like to add your name to the waitlist, please email dmvbirds@gmail.com with your name and the number of participants in your group. We may be able to add you in the event of a cancellation.
“O say can you see…the Eastern Kingbird perched at 9 o’clock on that tree?” 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.
Thanks to our friends at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, participants will be given access to the wetlands trail in a restricted area of Fort McHenry. All participants must sign a waiver provided by the National Aquarium. This hike will feature up to two miles of hiking on Fort McHenry’s pathways. Restrooms available.
Green Mount Cemetery (HIKING)
Time: 1:00 – 3:45 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Scott Housten & Brenda Miller
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. Your guides will help you find the birds and some of the most famous memorial monuments in this beautiful, historic cemetery. This hike includes up to three miles of hiking along paved paths. Restrooms unavailable.
Breeding Birds of Baltimore (HIKING/DRIVING)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $30/person
Guides: Bud Poole & Jim Rapp
Meeting Location: Thames Street Park, located at the corner of Thames Street and South Wolfe Street in Fells Point. We recommend that you arrive early to get street parking and enjoy lunch in Fells Point before we meet at the park at 1:00 pm. Use GPS coordinates: 39.282171, -76.590255
Disturbing Baltimore’s nesting birds for the sake of a closer look or a photograph is an unacceptable intrusion that directly imperils the survival of the brood. You are a guest in their urban habitat; please maintain a respectful distance.
This Baltimore birding tour will reveal a surprising concentration of urban wildlife, beginning with the lively colony of Black-crowned Night Herons that return each spring to the zelkova trees of Thames Street Park in Fells Point.
Next, we will caravan for a ~15-minute drive to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, where the sycamores along the Jones Falls provide a secluded canopy for nesting Yellow-Crowned Night Herons. We will also do some birding along the Jones Falls Trail while we’re here. We will then caravan for a ~7-minute drive to park at the Giant Food parking lot on W 41st Street. We will walk along Evans Chapel Road to the historic Roland Park Water Tower to observe resident Peregrine Falcons as they guard their high-altitude nesting box.
We may add an additional stop along the tour. These sites collectively highlight the resilience of Charm City’s avian residents, provided observers maintain a respectful distance to ensure a successful breeding season.
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
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.
Please note:
- No cancellations are accepted after April 25, 2026. 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.