Calvert County
Calvert is one of the five counties within Maryland’s Southern Region, and occupies the mid-portion of the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The county seat is Prince Frederick, located in the middle of this long, narrow county. In the north, the twin bayside towns of North Beach and Chesapeake Beach are a prominent tourist area, and in the south, Solomons Island is another tourist spot on the Chesapeake Bay.
Calvert County has 338+ species reported on eBird. For the county eBird checklist, eBird hotspots, and more, click here.
View a comparison of Maryland counties based on total number of species reported on eBird.
Most of the county is still rural, containing farm fields and wooded areas. Although Calvert County is located on the coastal plain, there are many deep ravines formed by rivers and streams, and so the land can be surprisingly hilly. Both tidal and non-tidal wetlands are found throughout the county, particularly near the Bay and near the Patuxent River.
Calvert County is adjacent to Anne Arundel County to the north; Prince George’s, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties to the west and southwest, across the Patuxent River; and two counties on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay: Talbot and Dorchester. The border between Calvert and the two Eastern Shore counties is in the middle of the Bay.
Major north-south routes include MD Routes 2 and 4. MD Route 231 is a main east-west route, with a bridge over the Patuxent River that allows travel to Charles and St. Mary’s Counties.
There is no chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society centered in Calvert County, but many local birders participate in MOS through the Anne Arundel Bird Club or the Patuxent Bird Club; both of these MOS chapters offer field trips and meetings with informative programs, all free and open to the public. In addition, the Southern MD Audubon Society serves birders in Charles, Calvert, St.Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The county tourism office has developed a birding trail website featuring birding hotspots in the county, and this can be consulted for information in addition to what we present here.
Explore birding sites in Calvert County by choosing from the list below.
