Guided Birding in Western Maryland

At my discretion and working with my schedule, I can take groups of one or two on guided tours for a minimal fee of $60.00. For that I expect to get back home by 5:00 pm. If you need me to take you out later than that (i.e. for night birding), it’ll be extra. If we can be done by noon, I’ll only charge $30.00. I’m not going to be available in late June or at all in July. The best time to go is going to be in very late May or early June. I’ll schedule trips to Allegany County, Garrett County or some mix of both.

Birds of Note:

Spring Trips

On Spring trips to fields in Allegany and Garrett Counties, I can virtually guarantee that we will hear Henslowe’s Sparrows. They can be incredibly hard to see but those of us with a lot of patience and a good scope may be so lucky. These trips will probably also turn up Vesper and Grasshopper Sparrows. We will also likely find Golden-winged Warblers at some of these spots.

If we are exploring Garrett County, we can visit spots for Magnolia, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Canada, and Chestnut-sided Warblers. Other specialties include Veery, Hermit Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Alder Flycatcher, and Blue-headed Vireo. Ruffed Grouse are possible in many places but are always “hit or miss”. Ravens are very likely (almost a guarantee).

Other Seasons

Winter birding in Western Maryland can be tough going but before the lakes and ponds all freeze, there can be waterfowl to be found. Like many things, finding good waterfowl is largely dependant on bad weather. If there is a lot of fog and rain, it can bring waterfowl (and shorebirds) down. Western MD sees its share of precipitation, fog and fowl weather because of the orographic effect.