Birding Directory

CoastalWetlandForestFallSpring

Cape May

Premier Atlantic Flyway migration hotspot with legendary fall raptor flights.

Warblers in the Ramble area of Central Park during spring migration

New York

Urban ParkForestSpringFall

Central Park

Manhattan's surprising migrant trap with 280+ species in the heart of NYC.

Shorebirds feeding along the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

New York

WetlandMarshCoastalSpringFall

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

NYC's premier shorebird and waterfowl refuge with 330+ species recorded.

Rocky coastline at Acadia National Park with spruce forest

Maine

ForestCoastalMountainSpringSummer

Acadia National Park

Coastal Maine park with boreal breeding birds and pelagic species.

Spring warblers in flowering trees at Mount Auburn Cemetery

Massachusetts

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Historic Cambridge cemetery renowned as a spring warbler migrant trap.

Urban ParkForestSpring

Snow Geese flocking over Montezuma wetlands at sunset

New York

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

Finger Lakes wetland refuge with massive waterfowl concentrations during migration.

WetlandMarshSpringFall

Salt marsh and dunes at Parker River NWR on Plum Island

Massachusetts

CoastalMarshWetlandSpringWinter

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Massachusetts barrier beach refuge vital for shorebirds and Piping Plovers.

Tidal salt marsh and waterfowl at Bombay Hook NWR

Delaware

MarshWetlandCoastalFallSpring

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Delaware Bay salt marsh refuge with spectacular shorebird and waterfowl migrations.

Roseate Spoonbills wading in the Everglades at sunset

Florida

WetlandMarshCoastalWinterSpring

Everglades National Park

Vast subtropical wilderness with incredible wading bird concentrations and tropical species.

Fort Jefferson surrounded by turquoise waters at Dry Tortugas

Florida

Dry Tortugas National Park

Remote island migrant trap with the only continental US Sooty Tern colony.

CoastalTropicalSpring

Roseate Spoonbills feeding in mangrove shallows at Ding Darling

Florida

CoastalWetlandMarshWinter

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Sanibel Island mangrove refuge with spectacular wading bird viewing from Wildlife Drive.

Wading birds along Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island

Florida

WetlandMarshCoastalWinter

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Space Coast refuge with massive winter waterfowl concentrations and diverse habitats.

Misty mountain ridges in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Tennessee

ForestMountainSpringSummer

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Elevation-diverse Appalachian park with northern breeding species and rich warbler variety.

Waterfowl on impoundments at Pea Island NWR on the Outer Banks

North Carolina

CoastalMarshWetlandWinterFall

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge

Outer Banks refuge famous for wintering waterfowl and migrant shorebirds.

Cypress swamp and still waters at Okefenokee NWR

Georgia

WetlandForestMarshWinterSpring

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Vast Georgia blackwater swamp with Sandhill Cranes and wilderness canoeing.

Boardwalk through ancient bald cypress swamp at Francis Beidler Forest

South Carolina

WetlandForestSpringSummer

Francis Beidler Forest

World's largest virgin bald cypress swamp with elevated boardwalk access.

Warblers on the famous boardwalk at Magee Marsh in spring

Ohio

Magee Marsh Wildlife Area

The warbler capital of North America with legendary boardwalk birding on Lake Erie.

WetlandForestMarshSpring

The Magic Hedge at Montrose Point with Lake Michigan in background

Illinois

Urban ParkCoastalSpringFall

Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary

Chicago's top birding spot where the Magic Hedge traps migrating songbirds.

Shorebirds on mudflats at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Kansas

WetlandMarshGrasslandSpringFall

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Largest US inland marsh and critical Central Flyway shorebird stopover.

Canada Geese filling the sky over Horicon Marsh in fall

Wisconsin

Horicon Marsh

Largest US cattail marsh with massive fall goose concentrations and breeding marsh birds.

WetlandMarshFallSummer

Great Gray Owl perched in snowy spruce forest at Sax-Zim Bog

Minnesota

Sax-Zim Bog

Premier winter destination for boreal owl species in Minnesota's vast peatlands.

ForestWetlandWinter

Sandhill Cranes over salt marsh wetlands at Quivira NWR

Kansas

WetlandMarshGrasslandSpringFall

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Unique inland salt marshes with nesting Snowy Plovers and migrating Sandhill Cranes.

Indiana

CoastalForestWetlandSpringFall

Indiana Dunes National Park

Lake Michigan dunes park with 350+ species across diverse coastal habitats.

Whitefish Point lighthouse with Lake Superior shoreline

Michigan

Whitefish Point Bird Observatory

Lake Superior peninsula and premier Great Lakes raptor migration corridor.

ForestCoastalSpring

Lush riparian corridor in Madera Canyon with oak and sycamore trees

Arizona

ForestMountainDesertSpringSummer

Madera Canyon

Santa Rita Mountains canyon famous for Elegant Trogons and diverse hummingbirds.

Rhyolite cliffs and sycamore-lined creek in Cave Creek Canyon

Arizona

ForestMountainDesertSpringSummer

Cave Creek Canyon

Chiricahua Mountains canyon and top US site for rare Mexican mountain species.

Sandhill Cranes lifting off at dawn at Bosque del Apache

New Mexico

WetlandDesertGrasslandWinter

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Rio Grande refuge renowned for spectacular Sandhill Crane and Snow Goose flyouts.

Hummingbird at feeder at Ramsey Canyon Preserve

Arizona

Ramsey Canyon Preserve

The Hummingbird Capital of the US with up to 15 species in the Huachuca Mountains.

ForestMountainSummer

Pelicans and shorebirds along the Salton Sea shoreline

California

WetlandDesertCoastalWinterSpring

Salton Sea

Desert oasis lake critical for Pacific Flyway shorebirds despite environmental challenges.

Saguaro cacti silhouetted against a desert sunset

Arizona

DesertMountainWinterSpring

Saguaro National Park

Iconic Sonoran Desert park with saguaro-nesting specialists and desert bird diversity.

Cottonwood-lined San Pedro River flowing through desert landscape

Arizona

WetlandDesertForestSpringSummer

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area

Vital Southwest riparian corridor along an undammed river with 350+ bird species.

Colorful warblers in oak trees at High Island during spring fallout

Texas

High Island

Legendary Texas coast migrant trap where trans-Gulf birds make landfall during spring fallouts.

ForestCoastalSpring

Green Jay perched in subtropical thorn forest at Santa Ana NWR

Texas

ForestTropicalWetlandWinterSpring

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

Subtropical Rio Grande Valley forest with rare Mexican species found nowhere else in the US.

Chisos Mountains rising above the Chihuahuan Desert at Big Bend

Texas

DesertMountainForestSpring

Big Bend National Park

Remote Chihuahuan Desert park with the only US breeding population of Colima Warbler.

Reddish Egret dancing in the shallows at South Padre Island

Texas

South Padre Island

Barrier island hotspot with outstanding shorebirds, waterbirds, and spring migrants.

CoastalWetlandSpringFall

Shallow lake with wading birds at Estero Llano Grande State Park

Texas

WetlandForestTropicalWinterSpring

Estero Llano Grande State Park

World Birding Center site with accessible trails through diverse Rio Grande Valley habitats.

Hill Country canyon with juniper-oak woodland at Balcones Canyonlands

Texas

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

Hill Country refuge protecting endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and Black-capped Vireo.

ForestGrasslandSpring

Dramatic coastal cliffs at Point Reyes National Seashore

California

CoastalGrasslandForestFallWinter

Point Reyes National Seashore

Pacific Coast peninsula with 490+ species and a magnet for rare vagrants.

Vast marshes with Steens Mountain backdrop at Malheur NWR

Oregon

WetlandMarshDesertSpringSummer

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Remote Oregon high desert marshes with outstanding breeding waterbirds and 320+ species.

Tufa towers rising from Mono Lake with Sierra Nevada backdrop

California

Mono Lake

Ancient saline lake with millions of migratory birds and surreal tufa towers.

WetlandDesertSummerFall

Tidal wetlands and mudflats at Elkhorn Slough with shorebirds

California

WetlandCoastalMarshWinterSpring

Elkhorn Slough

Major California coastal wetland on Monterey Bay with 340+ bird species.

Bald Eagles gathered along the Klamath Basin in winter

Oregon

WetlandMarshGrasslandWinterFall

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

Largest lower-48 Bald Eagle wintering concentration with millions of migrating waterfowl.

Moss-draped temperate rainforest in Olympic National Park

Washington

ForestCoastalMountainSpringSummer

Olympic National Park

Rainforest-to-coast park with Marbled Murrelets, seabirds, and alpine species.

Snow Geese in flight over Skagit Valley farmlands

Washington

GrasslandWetlandCoastalWinter

Skagit Valley

Northwest Washington valley with exceptional wintering raptors, swans, and Snow Geese.

Teton Range reflected in a mountain lake with sagebrush foreground

Wyoming

MountainGrasslandForestSpringSummer

Grand Teton National Park

Stunning Teton Range setting with sage-steppe and mountain forest bird communities.

Alpine meadows and glacial peaks in Glacier National Park

Montana

Glacier National Park

Continental Divide park with alpine ptarmigan, Harlequin Ducks, and boreal forest species.

MountainForestSummer

Alpine tundra and mountain peaks at Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado

MountainForestSummerSpring

Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado alpine park with accessible tundra birding and elevation-diverse habitats.

Avocets and phalaropes on mudflats at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Utah

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

Great Salt Lake marshes and critical Western Hemisphere shorebird staging area.

WetlandMarshSpringFall

Trumpeter Swans on a river with geysers steaming in Yellowstone

Wyoming

ForestGrasslandMountainSummerSpring

Yellowstone National Park

Iconic wilderness park with 300+ species across geothermal and mountain habitats.

Colorado

Pawnee National Grassland

Colorado shortgrass prairie with grassland specialists and nesting raptors at Pawnee Buttes.

GrasslandSpringSummer

Arctic tundra landscape near Nome with Bering Sea in background

Alaska

Nome

Accessible Arctic birding with breeding tundra species and rare Asian vagrants.

TundraCoastalSummer

Puffins nesting on sea cliffs with tidewater glacier in background

Alaska

Kenai Fjords National Park

Tidewater glaciers and rich seabird colonies along Alaska's southern coast.

CoastalMountainSummer

Seabird colonies on volcanic cliffs of the Pribilof Islands

Alaska

Pribilof Islands

Remote Bering Sea islands with massive seabird colonies and unmatched Asian vagrants.

CoastalTundraSummer

Native ohia-koa rainforest canopy at Hakalau Forest NWR

Hawaii

ForestTropicalSpringSummer

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge

Best site for endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers in pristine native rainforest.

Dense native cloud forest on the slopes of Haleakala at Waikamoi Preserve

Hawaii