SEPTEMBER 2026
SEPTEMBER 23 (Wednesday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
OAKS LANDFILL, LAYTONSVILLE
Explore in carpools this now-closed landfill adjacent to the Blue Mash Nature Trail. Mostly open terrain on both paved and gravel roads, including two pond views. Possible sparrows, raptors, and waterfowl. Shorebirds are possible if there are mudflats at the big pond. Leader will have scope for distant birds. Meet at 8 a.m. at 6001 Rt. 108, Laytonsville, Md. Limit: 17. Note: Reservations with a phone number required at least a week ahead of the trip for names to be submitted to the County. LEADER: Mark England at englandmark@comcast.net.
SEPTEMBER 26 (Saturday)
REDGATE PARK POP-UP
No reservations needed! We’ll search this Rockville park for sparrows and southbound migrants. The paths are mostly paved, but there are some steep hills. There are no bathroom facilities, but there is a port-a-potty at the parking lot. Distance: 1 to 2 miles. Time about 2 hours. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot at Redgate Park, 14500 Avery Rd, Rockville, MD 20853. Walk cancelled in the event of pouring rain. LEADER: Lisa Norwalk at lhnorwalk@gmail.com. Deborah Hanley will co-lead.
OCTOBER 2026
OCTOBER 3 (Saturday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
WHEATON REGIONAL PARK
Early and mid-October can be quite productive in Wheaton Regional Park, which is often particularly good during fall migration. Warblers, vireos, thrushes, and sparrows are all possible. All are welcome, and beginners are particularly encouraged to join. We will begin at 7:30 a.m. and finish around 10 or when bird activity drops off. Limit: 12. LEADER: Rob Hilton at rob.hilton.2010@gmail.com. Lisa Shannon will co-lead.
OCTOBER 4 (Sunday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
HUGHES HOLLOW
Join us for a morning of marsh and woodland birding. Targets are fall migrants such as warblers, sparrows, and ducks. Beginners and young birders are especially encouraged to join. We will gather at 7:30 a.m. in the Hughes Hollow parking lot. Limit: 12. LEADER: Lauren Carey at ljcarey011@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 10 (Saturday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
ROYCE HANSON CONSERVATION PARK
Join us for a sparrow-laden autumn walk along the field edges of Royce Hanson Conservation Park. In addition, we’ll hope for passing raptors, resident woodpeckers, and other field birds, with perhaps a foray into the woods to see who’s tucking in for the winter. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot. Limit: 10. Leader: Lauren Carey at ljcarey011@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 11 (Sunday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
OAKS LANDFILL, LAYTONSVILLE
Explore in carpools this now-closed landfill adjacent to the Blue Mash Nature Trail. Mostly open terrain on both paved and gravel roads, including two pond views. Possible sparrows, raptors, and waterfowl. Shorebirds are possible if there are mudflats at the big pond. Leader will have scope for distant birds. Meet at 8 a.m. at 6001 Rt. 108, Laytonsville, Md. Limit: 17. Note: Reservations with a phone number required at least a week ahead of the trip for names to be submitted to the County. LEADER: Mark England at englandmark@comcast.net.
OCTOBER 12 (Indigenous People’s/Columbus Day, Monday)
LINGANORE CREEK FARM, FREDERICK COUNTY
This site is slated to become the Maryland Ornithological Society’s 11th sanctuary, featuring open fields and riparian woods. Be prepared for wet grass and one stream crossing on flat stones. Meet at 7:30 a.m at Monrovia Park & Ride off I-70 near New Market. Carpooling from the Park & Ride is mandatory due to extremely limited parking at the farm. Drive time to the farm from the Park & Ride is about 15 minutes. Restroom available before and after walk. LEADERS: John McKitterick, executive secretary of MOS, and Jeremy Castle, chair of the MOS Sanctuary Committee. Limit: 18. Sign up with co-leader Cheryl Hogue at cheryl.hogue@proton.me
OCTOBER 14 (Wednesday)
DORCHESTER COUNTY
Full-day birding trip to Dorchester County on MD’s Eastern Shore. Meet in Cambridge at the Visitor Center at Sailwind Park at 8:30 a.m. Carpooling from the meeting place is required. Birding locations include Egypt Rd, Blackwater NWR, and Hurlock WWTP. We will be targeting lingering shorebirds, late migrants, and early arriving waterfowl plus any rarities reported in the area. Limit: 12. Sunscreen, insect repellent, and sturdy walking shoes suggested. Bring your own lunch, snacks, water, etc. We will plan to eat lunch in the field. LEADER: Jim Green at jkgbirdman53@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 17 (Saturday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
DAYSPRING SILENT RETREAT CENTER, GERMANTOWN, MD.
Join us for a first-ever MBC bird walk at this beautiful 210-acre private property, which includes meadows, mature woods, two ponds, streams, and a large lake. MBC leaders Lauren Carey, Deb Hanley, and Leo Dilling were previously permitted to tour the property and will lead the trip. The walk will be on well-maintained grassy paths, so water-resistant footwear is recommended. Meet at 8 am. in front of the farmhouse at 11301 Neelsville School Road, Germantown, MD, or see this link for more details: https://
OCTOBER 18 (Sunday)
LITTLE BENNETT RP FOR BEGINNERS
All are welcome on this trip, but we especially encourage those new to birding to join us. Starting at 7:30 a.m., we’ll slowly walk some of the woodland trails looking for migrant and resident birds. Limit: 10. LEADER: Paul Orsinger at paulorsinger@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 21 (Wednesday)
OCTOBER MEETING
Stacy Hill presents “Bird Conservation Efforts.”
With the landmark research that quantified the loss of 3 billion birds across North America in the last 50 years, we as conservationists need to prepare for further declines and the possible need for future reintroduction programs. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has dedicated its new Bird House to migratory birds of North America, having had landmark successes
in breeding 16 species of songbirds and 7 species of waterfowl. Managing the reproduction of these birds requires careful observations and quickly pivoting to address challenges as they arise. Stacy Hill, assistant curator, will share a behind-the scenes look at the husbandry research and planning needed for these conservation milestones. She completed her master’s thesis on the endangered Red Siskin with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2018, contracted with the Migratory Bird Center for a year, and then came to the Bird House in 2019.
OCTOBER 22 (Thursday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
BLOCKHOUSE POINT CONSERVATION PARK
Join us for a late fall morning half-day walk at this historic conservation park off River Road with woods, a stream, clearings, and a Potomac River overlook. We will meet at 8 a.m. hoping to see year-round residents as well as wintering species like Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creeper, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Winter Wren. No facilities available. Limit 10. LEADER: James Fleming at jameshhfleming@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 31 (Saturday)
REDGATE PARK
Come explore this park on a former golf course. The area offers multiple habitats, including a small marsh, wooded areas, and lots of meadow areas for potential winter sparrows. In its first 10 months as a park, birders identified 147 species. Some parts have steep hills. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot. Limit: 12. LEADER: Anne Mytych at amytych@yahoo.com.
OCTOBER 31 (Saturday)
ROCK CREEK’S NORTH BRANCH STREAM VALLEY
Discover upper Rock Creek’s watershed with a variety of habitats. We will start along open fields and marshy areas next to Bowie Mill Park with the opportunity to see a variety of sparrows, hawks, fall migrants, and turkeys if we’re lucky. Previous lists included 8 species of sparrows including Fox, White-crowned, Swamp, and Savannah Sparrows. Depending on the weather, we’ll opt to explore a section of the stream valley for woodpeckers and other resident woodland species. Meet at 8 a.m. at Bowie Mill Park (https://tinyurl.com/yswz6v95) next to Sequoyah Elementary School. Limit: 16. LEADER: Jo Cox at jobird11@gmail.com. Kathy Reitz will co-lead.
NOVEMBER 2026
NOVEMBER 2 (Monday)
ROYCE HANSON CONSERVATION PARK POP-UP
No reservations needed! Enjoy some fall birding at one of Montgomery’s newer parks, targeting sparrows and lingering fall migrants along both field and forest edge habitat. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot at 21820 Club Hollow Road in Poolesville, MD. LEADER: Andy Martin at martinap2@verizon.net. Note: We return to standard time on Sunday, November 1.
NOVEMBER 3 (Tuesday)
LOIS Y. GREEN CONSERVATION PARK
Morning walk through the woods. We’ll be looking for overwintering songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot at 8711 Snouffer School Road, Gaithersburg, Md. Limit: 12. LEADER: Mark England at englandmark@comcast.net.
NOVEMBER 11 (Wednesday)
REDGATE PARK: SEEKING SPARROWS
If you are just starting to sort out the sparrows, join us for our annual Veterans Day walk. We’ll work on ID-ing familiar species such as Song and White-throated Sparrow, while looking for less common ones like White-crowned and Swamp. This trip is geared to beginners, but all are welcome. Meet at 8 a.m. Limit: 12. LEADER: Jo Cox at jobird11@gmail.com. Kathy Reitz will co-lead.
NOVEMBER 12 (Thursday)
DORCHESTER COUNTY
Full-day birding trip to Dorchester County on MD’s Eastern Shore. Meet in Cambridge at the visitor center at Sailwind Park at 8:30am. Carpooling from the meeting location is required. Birding locations include Egypt Rd, Blackwater NWR, and many more. Target birds include waterfowl, sparrows, year-round residents like Brown-headed Nuthatch, etc. If there are rarities reported in the area, we will look for them. Limit: 12. Sunscreen, insect repellent, and sturdy walking shoes suggested. Bring your own lunch, snacks, and water. We will plan to eat in the field. LEADER: Jim Green at Jkgbirdman53@gmail.com.
NOVEMBER 14 (Saturday)
THIS TRIP IS FULL. WAITLIST AVAILABLE.
LAKE ARTEMESIA
Join us at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, for a late fall trip to Lake Artemesia. Half a dozen species of ducks are possible, as well as other waterbirds. Wintering land birds such as Hermit Thrush and sparrows are present. Easy walking on a paved path. Limit: 10. LEADER: Rob Hilton at rob.hilton.2010@gmail.com. Lisa Shannon will co-lead.
NOVEMBER 18 (Wednesday)
NOVEMBER MEETING
Gabriel Foley presents “Health and Conservations Insights from the BBA3.”
More than 200 bird species breed in the Maryland-DC region. The Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 (BBA3) was a community science project that documented the distribution of the region’s breeding birds from 2020-2024. Over 2,000 volunteers contributed to this dataset, building the most precise, comprehensive dataset of breeding birds ever compiled for our region. Gabriel Foley, who coordinated this project, will discuss what these data tell us about the health of our birds, and some of the unexpected discoveries made along the way, including in Montgomery County, and how BBA3 results are used to help inform conservation decision-making regionally and beyond.
DECEMBER 2026
DECEMBER 6 (Sunday)
BLACKWATER NWR
Full day (to dusk). Early waterfowl and lingering migrants plus late afternoon marsh watch. Brown-headed Nuthatch possible. Bring lunch and drinks. Limit: 12. LEADER: Leo Dilling at LeoDilling@hotmail.com.
DECEMBER 12 (Saturday)
LOIS Y. GREEN CONSERVATION PARK
Morning walk through fields and woodland edges. We’ll be looking for sparrows, waterfowl, and raptors. Trails are well maintained with some hills. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot at 8711 Snouffer School Road, Gaithersburg, Md. Limit: 12. LEADER: Leo Dilling at LeoDilling@hotmail.com.
DECEMBER 15 (Tuesday)
BLUE MASH NATURE TRAIL
Join us for a morning at one of Montgomery County’s top Hotspots. We’ll be looking for raptors and overwintering sparrows and waterfowl. The path can be muddy and overgrown, so waterproof boots are recommended. Meet at 8 a.m. in the Zion Road parking lot. Limit: 10. LEADER: Lauren Carey at ljcarey011@gmail.com.