U.S. National Arboretum
The National Arboretum consists of 446 acres of fields, woods, and display gardens. It boasts some of the largest stands of conifers in the District. These are located in several large concentrations in the ornamental conifer collection, Hickey Hill, and the state tree grove. Some of the better birding spots are in the Azalea Garden, Fern Valley, Hickey Hill, the Asian Gardens, and a trail that parallels the Anacostia River. Maps provided at the Visitors Center will guide you to these locations. Walking in the Arboretum is fairly easy, as it is either along roadways or on well-maintained trails.
What to see: The Arboretum offers opportunities for birders year-round. In spring and fall, migrating warblers, thrushes, and other songbirds are attracted to the woods surrounding the Azalea Garden. One fall morning on the Azalea hill produced veery, Swainson's thrush, Philadelphia vireo, red-eyed vireo, Nashville warbler, northern parula, chestnut-sided warbler, magnolia warbler, pine warbler, blackpoll warbler, black-and-white warbler, scarlet tanager, and rose-breasted grosbeak. Gray-cheeked thrushes and worm-eating warblers have also appeared there in migration. Any of the pine groves may hold a pine warbler in late winter or early spring. In winter, check for red-breasted nuthatches in the pines on Hickey Hill, which is also a good spot for finding warblers late in the season. Pine warblers may visit the state tree grove in early spring. In winter, check conifers for owls. During migration and winter, watch the skies for raptors, which may include migrant accipiters and falcons in addition to the resident red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks. Other notable birds to check for in winter include winter wren, fox sparrow, and purple finch. Birding is quieter in the summer, but there are plenty of breeding birds at the Arboretum, including wood thrush, red-eyed vireo, house wren, indigo bunting, and yellow-billed cuckoo. Check the river trail and the meadows around the Capitol columns for blue grosbeak.
By public transportation: Use the X6 from Union Station on weekends. On weekdays, the closest bus stop to the Arboretum is the B2 at R Street and Bladensburg Road. The B2 connects with the Blue and Orange lines at the Stadium-Armory station.
By car: From the Beltway or Baltimore-Washington Parkway, take New York Ave. (US 50) west to the entrance at 3501 New York Avenue, NE, or from Bladensburg Rd., go east on R St.
Location
- 3501 New York Avenue, NE
- Washington, DC, 20002
