Birding Assets

Frederick County is home to several globally, regionally, and locally significant bird habitats.

Audubon Important Bird Areas: Frederick County is home to three of Audubon’s designated “Important Bird Areas” (IBAs) in the State of Maryland. These include the “global” priority level Lower C&O Canal IBA in Southern Frederick County, the “state” priority level Maryland Blue Ridge IBA in Western Frederick County, and the Monocacy Grasslands IBA in Northern Frederick County. IBAs include both public and private land, and encompass park sites like the C&O Canal Towpath, Catoctin Mountain Park, Cunningham Falls State Park, and Gambrill State Park.

Frederick County is home to two Audubon Sanctuaries: the Fred J. Archibald Sanctuary and the Audrey Carroll Sanctuary. In total, the sanctuaries offer 270 acres of trails, woodlands, ponds, streams, wetlands, and meadows, attracting a wide array of wildlife. The sanctuaries are open to the public for the purposes of observation and education. Pets, hunting, and specimen collecting are prohibited at these sites.

Lilypons Water Gardens is noted as the #1 eBird hotspot in Frederick County in terms of the number of species reported. It is also identified as a prime birdwatching location in birdwatching materials prepared by the Maryland Office of Tourism.

The following list of locally significant birding “hotspots” was compiled by the Frederick Bird Club, which is the local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society.

* Includes locations identified by the Bird City Program of City of Frederick.