The brilliant blue color of the male indigo bunting has inspired some Baltimoreans to pursue birdwatching. Patterson Park and Druid Hill Park are popular sites for aficionados to go “birding.” Photo by Andy Morffew

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Eight years ago, Cory Cone and his wife, Nathalie, wandered into Mount Washington’s Clyburn Arboretum, where they were drawn to a collection of stuffed birds. Among them was an indigo bunting, a bird known for its vibrant azure hue. 

“I was completely amazed that a bird that beautiful could be seen in the city I lived in,” Cone said. He immediately began a quest to find a bunting in Baltimore. Along the way, the Cones discovered a slew of birdwatching opportunities right here in Charm City.  

Smack dab in the Atlantic flyway (a major north-south migratory path that spans the continent), Baltimore is an ideal birding destination due to its “proximity to water and big islands of green space,” according to Patterson Park Audubon Center (PPAC) Director Susie Creamer. Open areas like Patterson Park and Gwynns Falls “give the birds something they can see from above,” Creamer said. 

Newcomers welcome on walks

To help residents and visitors spot those birds, Creamer’s group hosts monthly guided birdwatching walks in Patterson Park and Druid Hill Park. These events, which are on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, “welcome all abilities,” she said, emphasizing that bird-lovers “don’t have to leave the city to find nature.”

While the Cones consider the indigo bunting their “spark bird” (the insider term for a species that triggers a person’s avian fervor), it was the guides on PPAC’s walks who solidified their entrée into the birding world. 

“The ‘bird guides’ are extraordinarily knowledgeable about all things bird[-related],” Cory Cone said. “Their excitement and passion hooked me immediately.”

The popularity of birdwatching (also known as “birding”) walks inspired the organization to host the first-ever Baltimore Birding Weekend in the spring of 2017, serving up three days of activities within the city limits. 

“We try to take participants to behind-the-scenes locations, as well as unlikely spots they might not otherwise know about,” Creamer said. 

Past events have included a boat ride around the Inner Harbor, a bird walk through storied Greenmount Cemetery, and bird research in Patterson Park. In 2019, people tallied 136 species at the park over a single weekend.

Nathalie Cone thinks Baltimore Birding Weekend is a perfect event for finding birds — and new friends. “We had such a blast being with fellow birders as we searched for waterfowl,” she said of the Inner Harbor boat ride. 

The next Baltimore Birding Weekend is scheduled for May 15 through 17, but will likely be postponed due to the current stay-at-home mandate in Maryland. In the meantime, there are plenty of ways to appreciate birds in Baltimore all year round. 

The PPAC holds frequent, cost-free workshops about creating bird-friendly gardens in the city. The Baltimore Bird Club (BBC), a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, offers monthly lectures, some of which are now online, and guided field trips. 

BBC also facilitates Lights Out Baltimore, a program dedicated to ensuring the safety of migratory birds — who find their way using the stars and moon — by encouraging business owners to turn off decorative lighting during peak migration seasons. The group also advocates for bird-safe building design and rescues birds who have suffered from collisions. 

Best spots for birdwatching

For solo birders looking for an urban adventure, most won’t have to look too far outside their own zip code. 

The 375 forested acres of Herring Run Park, just northwest of downtown, provide a habitat for the great crested flycatcher, distinctive for its yellow belly and tall crown. 

Last spring, Masonville Cove Environmental and Education Center, located on the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, welcomed a pair of nesting bald eagles. 

But it’s not just iconic raptors that prefer this restored wetland; more than 135 species were recorded during the month of May alone. 

Looking ahead, winter is the perfect time to bird at Fort McHenry. Osprey soar overhead while loons, grebes and ruddy ducks visit the waters that surround the historic site. 

Creamer recommends Gwynns Falls and Leakin Park because “there is just so much forest.” More than a dozen species of warblers make their home among 1,200 acres of mature hardwoods, the largest tract of contiguous parkland in Baltimore City. The rose-breasted grosbeak — a black-and-white bird with a brilliant ruby chest — can also be found in this West Baltimore treasure. 

The grounds of the Clyburn Arboretum offer a dramatic background for a birding exhibition. Yellow-throated vireos and ruby-throated hummingbirds flit through manicured gardens and among hundreds of specimen trees. (Of course, those hoping for a more leisurely view can simply admire the nature museum’s preserved birds.)

It took four years, but the Cones finally found their indigo bunting on a visit to Oregon Ridge Park in 2016. 

“Seems they’re everywhere now,” Cory Cone said. “Or maybe we just figured out how to pay attention better, be more patient and look in the right places.”

Another local bird has since captured Nathalie Cone’s heart: the oriole. “The sight of them still leaves me speechless,” she said, “no matter how many times I’ve seen them.”

For more information on the Patterson Park Audubon Center and its activities, visit patterson.audubon.org, email baltimore@audubon.org or call (410) 558-BIRD (2473).