The barn owl is one of the most beloved farmland raptors worldwide, but in Maryland, it’s in deep trouble. By attaching tiny transmitters to barn owls captured on their breeding grounds, MBCP will track the movements of the tagged owls throughout a full annual cycle. My husband, Solomon Woods, and I have funded this project in memory of our son, Eli Woods.
Chestertown Renews Bird City Status
In partnership with The Natural Lands Project at Washington College's Center for Environment & Society, 28 acres of former corn fields at the Chestertown Wastewater Treatment Plant has been converted into wildflower habitat, which supports pollinators and many bird species including grasshopper sparrows. Read more
City of Frederick Renews Bird City Status
The City of Frederick is committed to managing green space to benefit birds, which also improves conditions for a host of other species … including people! Frederick’s new Cooler Neighborhoods program aims to increase tree canopy around Title I schools. Read more
Brunswick Renews Bird City Status
The city leverages partnerships to notch up 28 action points. In addition to its Bird City recognition, Brunswick is also a silver-level Sustainable Maryland city. Read more
Monocacy Grassland Birds Initiative
MBCP is excited to join the new Monocacy Grassland Birds Initiative, a collaborative effort focused on the Monocacy Grasslands Important Bird Area (IBA) in Frederick and Carroll counties. The IBA is a large landscape of primarily privately-owned working farms and open habitats that remain critically important for some of Maryland’s most vulnerable birds.
Annapolis Renews Bird City Status
Where's Shorty Now?
MBCP’s Short-eared Owl Project will be studying the movements of this enigmatic owl using satellite transmitters. Alex Pellegrini explains how this community-funded project started and the progress he and Andy Brown have made towards accomplishing the project’s research goals. Read more
Spawning an Affection for Horseshoe Crabs
This spring, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) launched a horseshoe crab tagging project in Southern Maryland. CSM is the first “Bird Campus”—a status conferred through Bird City Maryland, a program of Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. Read more
Chick Banding Events
One of the rewards of being a program volunteer for MBCP’s Farmland Raptor Program is an invitation to attend a chick banding event, in which American Barn Owl or American Kestrel nestlings are weighed, aged, sexed, and outfitted with aluminum alloy leg bands that have a unique tracking number. Read more
What Is a Signature Bird?
Bird City Maryland is the only program in the Bird City Network that asks communities to choose a Signature Bird. Many Bird City communities have used this assignment to engage and educate their communities in creative ways. Read more





