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Maps, directions, bird lists, links, contact information, and detailed descriptions of hotspots that are great for birding close to home. Sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics  |
Published: June 25, 2010 |
 | This wildlife refuge on the northernmost island of the main Hawaiian Islands is home to shearwaters, tropicbirds, boobies, and frigatebirds, and it’s one of the best places in the world to see albatrosses.
By Hob Osterlund
Published: June 25, 2010 |
 | This popular birding hotspot in the heart of redwood country attracts huge flocks of shorebirds, as well as Peregrine Falcons, White-tailed Kites, rails, gulls, phoebes, sparrows, hummingbirds, and bitterns.
By Jeffrey Rich
Published: June 25, 2010 |
 | This popular state park west of Madison is a great spot for Yellow-breasted Chat, Bell’s Vireo, Cerulean Warbler, Whip-poor-will, Henslow’s Sparrow, and Orchard Oriole.
By Steve Betchkal
Published: June 25, 2010 |
 | Visit this coastal state park to find Wood Storks, ibises, herons, Brown Pelicans, Florida Scrub-Jays, and Roseate Spoonbills.
By Jamie Hansen
Published: June 25, 2010 |
 | This 28-acre greenspace near the North Dekalb Mall is a great spot to prowl for warblers, grosbeaks, orioles, sparrows, wrens, and thrushes. And it’s nothing short of a “magic spot” for witnessing the American Woodcock’s annual courtship display.
By Mark and Selena Kiser
Published: April 23, 2010 |
 | This refuge southwest of Portland is full of warblers, towhees, and Lazuli Bunting in spring and migrating shorebirds, including Long-billed Dowitcher, in fall.
By Lauretta Young
Published: April 23, 2010 |
 | Zip code 90210 is home to this 605-acre natural area, where you can spot common chaparral breeders California Quail, California Thrasher, Bewick’s Wren, and Wrentit.
By Neil Losin
Published: April 23, 2010 |
 | Find migrant and breeding warblers, shorebirds, raptors, and waterfowl at this 1,500-acre preserve 20 miles from Washington, D.C.
By Warren and Lisa Strobel
Published: April 23, 2010 |
 | This natural area next to Finley Golf Course is the place to see Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Hooded and Prothonotary Warblers, and Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers.
By Nathan Swick
Published: February 19, 2010 |
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The Omaha area's premier birding site hosts Cerulean, Mourning, and Magnolia
Warblers, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Wood Thrush, Tufted Titmouse,
Western Kingbird, and often tallies rarities.
By Clem Klaphake
Published: February 19, 2010 |
 | Along the shores of Lake Texoma, this refuge 75 miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth provides nesting, stopover, and wintering habitat for more than 290 bird species, including warblers, vireos, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors.
By Gail Morris
Published: February 19, 2010 |
 | Bald Eagles, gulls, and mergansers feast on salmon in fall and winter at this beautiful park west of Victoria, which is also home to American Dippers, Winter Wrens, Steller's Jays, Townsend's Warblers, and Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
By Glenn Bartley
Published: February 19, 2010 |
 | This lake near the Atlantic Ocean is an important bathing and resting area for hundreds of gulls that draw casual birdwatchers and experienced gull watchers alike, and it's a great spot for waterfowl, winter finches, chickadees, and Bohemian Waxwing.
By Anne Hughes
Published: December 28, 2009 |
 | Bird Panoche Valley Road south of Hollister in search of Golden Eagle, Yellow-billed Magpie, California Thrasher, Phainopepla, Greater Roadrunner, and Long-eared Owl.
By Carolyn Longstreth
Published: December 28, 2009 |
 | Go to the heart of the restored New Jersey Meadowlands for raptors and Snowy Owls in winter, migratory birds in spring and fall, and Black Skimmers, egrets, and Orchard Orioles in summer.
By Adam Marcus
Published: December 28, 2009 |
 | This huge national grassland south of Pierre is one of the best places in the lower 48 states to look for Gyrfalcons in winter. Other prime attractions include Snowy Owl, Greater Prairie-Chicken, Ferruginous Hawk, and nesting Burrowing Owls.
By Doug Backlund
Published: December 28, 2009 |
 | See Yellow-breasted Chat, California Thrasher, California Towhee, Least Bell's Vireo, and other birds at this greenspace east of downtown Los Angeles By Catherine Waters
Published: October 23, 2009 |
 | This water-treatment facility in Tucson is where to go for Abert's Towhee, Harris's and Red-tailed Hawks, Cactus Wren, Pyrrhuloxia, Greater Roadrunner, and Ladder-backed Woodpecker. By Matthew Brooks
Published: October 23, 2009 |
 | Find cormorants, night-herons, warblers, thrushes, owls, shorebirds, waterfowl, and egrets at this globally significant Important Bird Area on Lake Ontario. By Tom Flinn
Published: October 23, 2009 |
 | The most reliable site in New Jersey for wintering Harlequin Ducks, and a great place to see shorebirds, falcons, eiders, gulls, and longspurs. By William Jobes
Published: October 23, 2009 |
 | This nature preserve north of Houston is a top spot for Brown-headed Nuthatch and Greater Roadrunner, songbirds and woodpeckers in summer, and hawks and hummingbirds in fall. By Fred Collins
Published: August 21, 2009 |
 | This lake next to Meacham International Airport is a great place to see shorebirds, waterfowl, Least Terns, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, sparrows, and many other birds. By Gail Morris
Published: August 21, 2009 |
 | Chicago's modern-day birding mecca, located on the Lake Michigan shore, is the place to see warblers, gulls, terns, sparrows, shorebirds, orioles, and rarities. By Demetri Lafkas
Published: August 21, 2009 |
 | This park on the banks of the Scioto River south of downtown Columbus is a great spot to watch waterfowl, sandpipers, warblers, flycatchers, and kingfishers. Plus, rarities fly in often. By Jim McCormac
Published: August 21, 2009 |
 | Just south of the famed eagle- and gull-watching site at Conowingo Dam, Susquehanna State Park is the premier spot in the region to observe Cerulean Warblers. Also look for orioles, wrens, hawks, herons, and terns. By William Jobes
Published: June 19, 2009 |
 | This Chicago-area birding site features a fall hawk watch and is where to go to see Blue-winged Warbler, Dickcissel, Summer Tanager, Lapland Longspurs, Rough-legged Hawk, and many other species. By Jeff Chapman
Published: June 19, 2009 |
 | Pull off Highway 101 west of Santa Barbara to watch Black-chinned Hummingbird, Virginia Rail, bitterns, sapsuckers, and breeding Western Kingbird, Black Phoebe, Spotted Towhee, and White-tailed Kite. By Joan Easton Lentz
Published: June 19, 2009 |
 | New York City's fourth largest park is a great spot to watch spring and fall migrants, including warblers, thrushes, and grosbeaks, as well as Rusty Blackbird, Snow Bunting, and Wood Duck. By Tom Fiore
Published: June 19, 2009 |
 | The premier birding hotspot in the Champlain Valley attracts Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireos, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian Tern, grebes, ducks, pipits, and Snow Bunting By John Thaxton
Published: April 24, 2009 |
 | This Portland city park is the place to see Anna's Hummingbird, Western Screech-Owl, Townsend's, Hermit, and MacGillivray's Warblers, Western Tanager, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Varied Thrush, and to meet up with fellow birdwatchers By John Rakestraw
Published: April 24, 2009 |
 | Find Yellow-throated and Prothonotary Warblers, Orchard Oriole, Bald Eagle, Summer Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker, and American Bittern at this county park 20 miles south of Richmond By Jerry Uhlman
Published: April 24, 2009 |
 | Located about a mile from Philadelphia International Airport, this 1,200-acre preserve is where to see warblers, vireos, and other songbirds in spring and fall, Northern Saw-whet Owl in winter, as well as Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon By Edie Parnum
Published: April 24, 2009 |
 | See Brown Pelican, gulls, terns, shorebirds, hummingbirds, and much more at this state beach just west of Los Angeles. By Neil Losin
Published: February 20, 2009 |
 | This wildlife oasis in suburban northern New Jersey is one of the best places in the Garden State to look for American Bittern and Virginia Rail. By Rob Fanning
Published: February 20, 2009 |
 | Find Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Bachman's Sparrow and many other species in this vast wilderness between Port Charlotte and Fort Myers. By Jeff Bouton
Published: February 20, 2009 |
 | This longleaf pine savannah forest is home to Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Bachman's Sparrow and attracts migrating sandpipers, tanagers, warblers, woodpeckers, ducks, and more. By Jamie Cameron
Published: February 20, 2009 |
 | See shorebirds and songbirds in spring and fall, and loons, gulls, and ducks in winter at this state park located just minutes from downtown Louisville. By Win Ahrens
Published: December 26, 2008 |
 | This prime birding spot on Lake Michigan, including Tiscornia Beach Park, is a great place to see Peregrine Falcon, jaegers, shorebirds, migrating songbirds, and rarities. By Walter Booth
Published: December 26, 2008 |
 | This urban wilderness is a great spot to see Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Peregrine Falcon, scoters, grebes, Pigeon Guillemot, ducks, and Hooded Merganser. By Diann MacRae
Published: December 26, 2008 |
 | This small park in the Houston metro area attracts 4-5 hummingbird species each winter, is a reliable spot for Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers in spring, and is home to Eastern Screech-Owls in summer. By Fred Collins
Published: December 26, 2008 |
 | The famous greenspace in New York City is a great spot to see warblers, tanagers, flycatchers, waterfowl, and sparrows. By Phil Jeffrey
Published: October 22, 2008 |
 | This huge wildlife conservation center is home to Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks, and Short-eared Owls in winter and Bobolinks, meadowlarks, and Henslow's and Grasshopper Sparrows in summer. By Jim McCormac
Published: October 22, 2008 |
 | Where to see Snow and Ross's Geese, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Yellow-billed Magpie, and White-tailed Kite in the Sacramento Valley. By Harry Fuller
Published: October 22, 2008 |
 | The best migrant trap in central Arizona attracts hummingbirds, wrens, warblers, Summer Tanager, Lawrence's Goldfinch, and other birds. By Jim Burns
Published: October 22, 2008 |
 | Look for warblers and other songbirds, herons, waterfowl, Bald Eagles, and American White Pelicans near the southern shore of Green Bay. By Ty Baumann
Published: August 22, 2008 |
 | Find gannets, loons, ducks, rails, herons, eagles, Osprey, chickadees, and Brown-headed Nuthatches at this coastal hotspot. By Jeffrey Gordon
Published: August 22, 2008 |
 | This Important Bird Area is a breeding ground for bitterns, rails, and other marsh birds. By Susan Elliott
Published: August 22, 2008 |
 | An ideal spot in busy L.A. to see hummingbirds, raptors, and songbirds. By Jason Finley
Published: August 22, 2008 |
 | Excellent viewing of wintering waterfowl, raptors, marsh species, and upland songbirds just 12 miles south of Salem, Oregon. By John Rakestraw
Published: June 20, 2008 |
 | Find Loggerhead Shrike, Golden-winged Warbler, Upland Sandpiper, and more along the best early-summer-birding back road in southern Ontario. By Ron Pittaway
Published: June 20, 2008 |
 | A sketchy plot of landfill on the southwest corner of Long Island, New York, that attracts many migrants and a range of waterbirds in winter and nesting species in summer. By Alex Wilson
Published: June 20, 2008 |
 | Ducks in winter, migrating shorebirds and passerines in spring and fall, and waterbirds in summer, all in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. By Gail Morris
Published: June 20, 2008 |
 | Look for Peregrine Falcons, Cerulean Warblers, Blue Grosbeaks, and loads of other birds at the confluence of the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. By Jay Stenger
Published: April 25, 2008 |
 | An oasis for Sonoran Desert land birds and a migrant trap for vagrants and rarities in the Phoenix metro area. By Jim Burns
Published: April 25, 2008 |
 | Find waterfowl, rails, cranes, spoonbills, caracaras and many more birds in this mosaic of ponds and wetlands 60 miles south of Corpus Christi. By Milton Weller
Published: April 25, 2008 |
 | A great place to see dippers, Arctic Terns, waterfowl, and Bald Eagles - and some of the best scenery in the world. By Matthew Brooks
Published: April 25, 2008 |
 | Look for waterbirds, owls, sparrows, flycatchers, and warblers at this wetland complex near Madison, Wisconsin. By Chuck Heikkinen
Published: February 22, 2008 |
 | Sand Creek Regional Greenway offers 14 miles of excellent birding near Denver, Colorado. By Donny Roush
Published: February 22, 2008 |
 | More than 175 species can be found at this small, diverse hotspot in southwestern Connecticut. By Frank Gallo
Published: February 22, 2008 |
 | An excellent spot for Crested Caracara, Limpkin, Swallow-tailed Kite, and much more, just 25 miles east of Orlando. By Mark Kiser
Published: February 22, 2008 |
 | Look for more than 100 resident species and shorebirds, waterfowl, sparrows, and woodpeckers north of Fresno. By Larry Parmeter
Published: December 21, 2007 |
 | See owls, hawks, waterfowl, and nesting grassland species just 27 miles north of Lansing. By Erik Enbody
Published: December 21, 2007 |
 | Desert habitat just outside Tucson that's perfect for sparrows, owls, and four species of towhee. By Matthew Brooks
Published: December 21, 2007 |
 | Springtime warblers, waterbirds, hawks, and a colony of resident Monk Parakeets in the heart of Brooklyn. By Julie Feinstein
Published: December 21, 2007 |
 | Find Cerulean and other warblers, plus loads of other migrants, northwest of Atlanta. By Giff Beaton
Published: October 18, 2007 |
 | Tower Grove Park is a fantastic spot for warblers, hawks, vireos in the heart of St. Louis. By Mike Thelen
Published: October 18, 2007 |
 | This bird-rich preserve just south of Sacramento is home to almost 300 species of birds. By Chris Conard
Published: October 18, 2007 |
 | This road just outside of Syracuse is home to dozens of breeding birds and plenty of warblers. By Joseph Brin
Published: October 18, 2007 |
 | See raptors, migrant warblers, and thousands of waterfowl at this urban wetland near Portland. By John Rakestraw
Published: August 24, 2007 |
 | Find more than 300 species at a restored estuary just 20 miles north of San Diego. By Joan Easton Lentz
Published: August 24, 2007 |
 | Spot Northern Saw-whet Owls, crossbills, migrating warblers, vireos, and other birds just west of Chicago. By Jeff Chapman
Published: August 24, 2007 |
 | Mudflats located just south of San Antonio teem with shorebirds and other migrants. By Eric Brierley
Published: August 24, 2007 |
 | Find Crissal Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Least Bittern, and more than 200 other bird species a short ride from the Las Vegas Strip. By Je Anne Strott-Branca
Published: June 22, 2007 |
 | Watch waterfowl, kingfishers, woodpeckers, swallows, warblers, and other birds south of Cleveland. By Jim McCormac
Published: June 22, 2007 |
 | See bitterns, Sora, Black Terns, herons, and owls on an exceptional island near downtown Montréal. By Richard Gregson
Published: June 22, 2007 |
 | An incredible variety of birds is a just stone's throw away from Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport. By Jim Williams
Published: June 22, 2007 |
 | Find shorebirds, raptors, and other birds just minutes from San Francisco's Bay Bridge. By Harry Fuller
Published: April 20, 2007 |
 | Historic canopy roads northwest of Tallahassee are an excellent place to watch birds throughout the year. By Andy Wraithmell
Published: April 20, 2007 |
 | Rich habitat along the South Platte River just southwest of Denver boasts over 350 species. By Hugh Kingery
Published: April 20, 2007 |
 | This spectacular hotspot in the Harrisburg area is great for waterfowl and other birds during migration. By Deuane Hoffman
Published: April 20, 2007 |
 | The birding is good year-round at this migrant/vagrant trap less than two miles from the ocean in Orange County. By Catherine Waters
Published: February 16, 2007 |
 | This is the place to go to see warblers, hawks, waterfowl, and shorebirds in downtown Chicago. By Edwin Rodriguez
Published: February 16, 2007 |
 | Woods and meadowland make for a great fall and winter birding location in Lexington, just outside Boston. By Marj Rines
Published: February 16, 2007 |
 | See migrating and wintering waterfowl and spectacular songbirds in spring and fall on this island between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. By Allen Chartier
Published: February 16, 2007 |
 | Look for a variety of ducks, sparrows, eastern warblers, and plenty of rarities north of Philadelphia. By Arlene Koch
Published: December 21, 2006 |
 | Watch ocean birds, shorebirds, and land birds, and take in spectacular views, on the western edge of San Francisco. By Harry Fuller
Published: December 21, 2006 |
 | Look for more than 350 bird species along the Colorado River east of Austin. By Laurie Foss
Published: December 21, 2006 |
 | See specialties like Gray Kingbird and Caribbean Short-eared Owl and trans-Gulf migrants at Florida's southernmost state park. By Carl Goodrich
Published: December 21, 2006 |
 | View warblers, sandpipers, wigeons, and other birds on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. By Diann MacRae
Published: October 20, 2006 |
 | See six species of thrasher at this little-known desert hotspot west of Phoenix. By Jim Burns
Published: October 20, 2006 |
 | See more than 200 bird species, including Wood Duck, Indigo Bunting, and Osprey, just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. By Philip Brandt George
Published: October 20, 2006 |
 | Spot rails, sparrows, shorebirds, and many other birds along the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. By John Idzikowski
Published: October 20, 2006 |
 | This park at the southern tip of Key Biscayne is an essential stop for fall and spring migrants. By Robin Diaz
Published: August 19, 2006 |
 | See Painted Buntings, Dickcissels, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and other grassland birds at this rare tallgrass prairie northeast of Dallas. By Matt White
Published: August 19, 2006 |
 | Find the threatened Western Snowy Plover along the Pacific Ocean on the campus of the University of California Santa Barbara. By Joan Easton Lentz
Published: August 19, 2006 |
 | See warblers, owls, raptors, woodpeckers, and other great birds in the last salt marsh and natural forest on Manhattan Island.
By Adam Marcus
Published: August 19, 2006 |
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