At a Glance

Hours:

Grounds:

  • April through mid-October: Tuesday through Sunday 8 am – 8 pm;
  • October through mid-March: Tuesday through Sunday 8 am – 5 pm.
  • Closed on Mondays and federal holidays throughout the year.

Vollmer Visitor Center:

  • Fridays and Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm

Nature Education Center:

  • Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 4 pm
  • Saturday – Sunday 10 am – 2 pm

Cylburn Mansion is closed to the public.

Cost: Free.

Tips: See the Baltimore Bird Club’s description of Cylburn for detailed information on where to bird at Cylburn & what to look for at each spot. ◾ Please respect the gardens and do not walk in or stand in garden beds; do not pick flowers or gather any type of foliage. ◾ No strollers, bikes, rollerblades, scooters, or skateboards on the trails, but these are allowed in paved areas. ◾ No kites or balloons. ◾ No confetti. ◾ Restrooms are available in the Greenhouse Classroom Building Tuesday-Sunday and in the Vollmer Center and Nature Education Center during regular open hours.

Best Seasons: Spring and fall migration, although there is pleasant birding year around.

Breeding Bird Atlas Block: Baltimore West NE

Local MOS Chapter: Baltimore Bird Club

Cylburn Arboretum

4915 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209
(410) 367-2217

Once a private estate, Cylburn Arboretum, located in the northwest part of the City of Baltimore, is now a beautiful 207-acre urban park managed by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks with support from the Horticultural Society and Cylburn Arboretum Association.

Cylburn features more than 3.5 miles of easy to moderately difficult woodland trails that wind through the grounds. Mature hardwood trees representative of the Piedmont make up the bulk of the forested areas, though there are some conifers. The plantings alongside the trails contain an outstanding diversity of wildflowers. The gardens at Cylburn also offer a small man-made bog  and open meadow areas. The habitats at Cylburn are protected by a deer-exclusion perimeter fence.

For suggested walking routes, see the description of Cylburn Arboretum from the out-of-print Birder’s Guide to Baltimore, published by the Baltimore Bird Club.

Cylburn is the home-base of the Maryland Ornithological Society and the Baltimore Bird Club. The Baltimore Bird Club holds its monthly meetings at Cylburn, and also offers regular bird walks there; both the meetings and the bird walks are open to the public; see http://baltimorebirdclub.org/schedule.html for the the current schedule. The Baltimore Bird Club provides an eBird Trail Tracker (a kiosk for eBird sightings) in the Vollmer Visitor Center at the Arboretum.

In addition to the Vollmer Visitor Center, facilities at Cylburn include the historic stone mansion (not open to the public); a Nature Education Center; and the Greenhouse Classroom Building. The Nature Education Center features classroom space, a kitchen, public bathrooms, and an exhibit hall.

In the 1800s, Cylburn was owned by Baltimore businessman Jesse Tyson,  who cleared some of the wooded areas to construct the mansion, carriage house, and gardens. The imposing stone mansion was completed in 1868 in the Victorian Renaissance Revival style and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, beautiful formal gardens are maintained in the core area near the mansion, with more naturalistic forests and gardens comprising the bulk of the grounds. The carriage house was renovated and re-opened as the Nature Education Center in 2023.

Birdlife:

More than 170 species of birds have been reported on eBird from the hotspot at Cylburn Arboretum.  It is a great location to observe migrating birds, especially thrushes and warblers.

Year-round resident species include: Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Black and Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagle (sporadic), Cooper’s Hawk (sporadic), Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, woodpeckers (Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Northern Flicker), Blue Jay, American and Fish Crows, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, and Northern Cardinal. Common Ravens, once restricted to the mountains of western Maryland, now occur in this area at any time of year and are becoming more common. Great Horned Owls are heard hooting during the winter breeding and nesting season, and be present during other times of year when they are more difficult to detect.

In addition, the following species may be found during Breeding Season (late May, June, July): Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Osprey, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, swallows (Tree, Northern Rough-winged, Barn), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Veery, Wood Thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Brown-headed Cowbird, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Indigo Bunting.

The following species may occur in Winter, but some are only present during irruption years: Mallard, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Merlin, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, sparrows (Field, Fox, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-crowned (uncommon), White-throated), Yellow-rumped Warbler.

There is a good assortment of additional birds possible during Spring and Fall Migration: Wood Duck, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Nighthawk, Killdeer, Green Heron, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Broad-winged Hawk, Barred Owl, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Olive-sided Flycatcher, vireos (White-eyed, Blue-headed, Yellow-throated, Philadelphia), Purple Martin, Gray-cheeked and Swainson’s Thrushes, sparrows (Swamp, Savannah, Lincoln’s), Rusty Blackbird, warblers (Worm-eating, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Waterthrush, Blue-winged, Black-and-white, Tennessee, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, American Redstart, Cape May, Cerulean, Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, Black-throated Blue, Palm, Pine, Prairie, Black-throated Green, Canada, Wilson’s), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Blue Grosbeak.

Wheelchair Access:

There are designated handicapped parking spots in all the parking areas. Paved pathways provide access to the buildings. The Buckeye Trail is ADA accessible.

The Vollmer Center is handicapped accessible with restrooms on the first floor and elevator access to the lower level meetings rooms and restrooms. A paved patio behind the building is also handicapped accessible.

The Greenhouse Classroom has accessible entrances and restrooms at ground level, as does the Nature Education Center.

Pet Policy:

Dogs are welcome in the grounds but must be kept leashed at all times. Pick up after your pet and take the waste with you.

Special Features:

  • The historic mansion at Cylburn houses administrative offices of the City of Baltimore Department of Parks and Recreation. Although some of the rooms were previously open to the public, at this time the building is closed to public access.
  • A photographic tour of notable trees at Cylburn is available online at http://cylburn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=5262239294794c1685c767ef4055c513.
  • An eBird Trail Tracker kiosk is available in Vollmer Visitor Center to record bird sightings, courtesy of the Baltimore Bird Club.
  • The Vollmer Visitor Center was built utilizing many green building techniques. It features modern solutions to reduce the building’s impact on the environment such as composting toilets, a “living” green roof, and geothermal heating and cooling.
  • The Nature Education Center offers a full schedule of guided bird and nature walks, nature camps for children, and assorted cultural events throughout the year.
  • Cylburn is the official home of the Maryland Ornithological Society and of the Baltimore Bird Club.

Local MOS Chapter:

The Baltimore Bird Club is the founding chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, and remains an important hub of birding activity in the state. The club offers monthly meetings with informative presentations and a full schedule of field trips and bird walks, all free and open to the public.

For a whimsical look at birding activities in Baltimore, check out the graphic arts booklet, “Birdland,” created by local artist Book Karnjanakit.

Parking:

Ample free parking in designated paved lots.

Directions:

By car from I-83 South or North, exit onto Northern Parkway Westbound. Make the first left onto Cylburn Avenue, going south (there is no traffic light at this intersection. Cylburn Avenue will bring you to a traffic light at Greenspring Avenue; turn left and then make the next immediate left into the Arboretum gates. Follow the entrance road to parking.

By MTA Light Rail: the closest stop is at 1700 W. Cold Spring Lane. See schedule for this stop.

Nearby Sites:

Baltimore City: Druid Hill Park ■ Fort McHenry National Monument ■ Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center ■ Patterson Park

Baltimore County: Cromwell Valley Park ■ Holt Park ■ Irvine Nature Center ■ Lake RolandLoch Raven Reservoir ■  ■ Milford Mill aka Villa Nova Park  ■ Northern Central Rail Trail (NCRT)Oregon Ridge Park ■ Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

Habitats:

Bottomland DeciduousConifersHedgerowsUpland Deciduous Garden or ArboretumLawn, Ballfields, Golf CourseUrban or Small Town Landscape Old Fields, Shrubby Meadows Freshwater Marsh or FloodplainRivers & Streams

Features:

BeginnersBicycle Trails (Bikes may be prohibited on some trails)Free - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHiking/Walking TrailsNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsNature Education ProgramsParkingPets AllowedPicnic AreaRestroomsVisitor Center, Interpretive Displays, ExhibitsWheelchair Accessible FeaturesYoung People / Families

Type:

Community and Urban ParksGardens & ArboretaHiker-Biker Trails (Paved)Nature Centers