Five great spots to bird in DC

DC Audubon Society logo--the Wood Thrush is the official bird of DC

A densely-populated city like Washington might not seem like a good place for birding. But it's surprising how many lovely places there are to see birds.

And you don't have to go alone. Early in my temporary residence in DC I discovered the DC Audubon Society. The group leads free bird walks each month, all in the District, and promoted on the group's Facebook page. The leadership is all young, energetic, and welcoming. They're even in the news: the group's president Zach Slevin was on the Kojo Naamdi Show recently, talking about birding in DC.

For a casual birder like me, the company of the DC Audubon Society members was delightful. Whenever I go birding with experts like them, I learn so much and see more than I would if I were alone.

But if you're ready to go on your own, here's a list of places to see birds in DC. I've even listed what I saw on particular dates--you can check ebird to see what more experienced birders are seeing in these locations, too!

The first three locations are easily accessible by transit, and the remaining two are a quick Uber or Lyft ride away from residential areas. Grab your binoculars and fire up your favorite birding app and head out to . . .

1.  U.S. Botanic Garden National Garden--just to the west of the conservatory between the Capitol and the National Mall.

Didn't see "interesting" birds when I visited the USBGNG, but sparrows and Cedar Waxwings were bathing in this water feature.

Getting there: We live in Capitol Hill, so a .9 mile walk for us. It's just a short .5 mile walk from the Capitol South Metro station (Red line).
Advantages: easy to walk to from our house, water features.
Disadvantages: small, crowds can frighten away birds
Visit: Saturday morning, April 28
Birds I saw: Cedar Waxwings, sparrows, robins, northern mockingbird, goldfinches.

2. Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Island used to be an estate of some sort. Now it's recovering wild land.

Getting there: It's a .6 mile walk from the Rosslyn Metro station (Orange, Silver, and Blue lines).
Advantages: you can take the Metro almost all the way there, which is what I did; it has water + trees
Disadvantages: noisy--airplanes, highways; rather scraggly forest.
Visit: Thursday, April 26 in the afternoon.
Birds I saw: eastern kingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, pair of white-throated sparrows, goldfinch, yellow-rumped warbler (a.k.a. the butter-butt).

Someone got a photo of a yellow-rumped warbler. See why it's called the butter-butt?

Also at TR Park: stripey lizard of some sort and deer. And two pairs of retired birders.

3. National Arboretum

With the DC Audubon Society, February 17, at the National Arboretum

Getting here: No nearby Metro stations. The B2 bus goes up Bladensburg, within a couple blocks of the arboretum.
Advantages: easy to get to, quiet, huge, lots of different terrain and vegetation, beautiful.
Disadvantages: Closes at 5 pm.
Visits: Saturday February 17 (with the DC Audubon group!), 10-12 noon and Wednesday, April 18 (afternoon)

Fiddlehead in the Fern Valley section of the Arboretum

Birds I saw: bluebirds, Merlin, black vultures, pine warblers, wood thrush, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Carolina wrens

These guys are all over. Amusing, kind of hyperactive.

4. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens--large National Park in Anacostia. Has open playing fields, scrub forest, and ponds with waterlilies.

On my first visit here, we heard but did not see a woodcock. Too bad: they are so comical looking! Photo borrowed from the Internet.

Flags and lily pads at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Getting here:  Not easy via transit. The U7 bus goes up 295, which is close to the park, but crossing route 295 and walking to the park from there does not look easy. Driving or Uber might be best. 
Advantages: has woodcocks, which do a courtship display in March; beautiful ponds with water creatures
Disadvantages: noisy! helicopters, large tractor doing laps around one of the ponds
Visit: Sunday, March 18 around sundown for woodcock walk, Wednesday, May 9 at the ponds.
Birds I saw: Red-winged blackbirds, Merlin, osprey with a fish. blue-gray gnatcatcher, grackles, Canada geese, robin, cardinal, blue heron, some kind of warbler, heard an oriole. Saw some reptiles including turtles, large and small, and a black snake. Heard frogs, and saw them as they plopped into ponds.

This turtle was about 1 foot long! His tiny friend jumped off the stone, but he stayed.

5. Rock Creek Park-large urban park, run by the National Parks, in NW DC.

Rock Creek

Getting there: The S4 bus goes only within about .6 miles . . . still a bit of a walk to get into the park. Best to Uber or drive. I started at the Nature Center, a good location for your Uber to drop you off.
Advantages: large, lots of different places to hike and look for birds; creek going through the park adds different habitat, beautiful old forest.
Disadvantages: there was a traffic jam the day I drove there--there's some construction on Beach Road which causes delays.
Visit: Wednesday morning, May 2 right before noon. Very hot that day.
Birds I saw: Cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, Carolina wren, black-and-white warbler, wood thrush

* Bonus location: Our front "yard."

The tiny front yard of our Capitol Hill apartment. 

Advantages: close by, adorable Capitol birdhouse (birthday gift from our son Robbie; the landlords were thrilled to put it up here.)
Disadvantages: small, close to foot traffic
Birds seen: goldfinch, Carolina wren, house sparrows, pair of mourning doves, robin. Great place to watch bird behavior by a feeder.