At a Glance

Hours: Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round.

Cost: Free.

Tips: The hour before dawn can be good for owls. Birding is generally best at dawn and early morning. ◾ No pets. ◾ Collecting of specimens (plants or animals) is not allowed.◾ Trails are usually well mowed, but be prepared for ticks. ◾ Waterproof boots are advisable for walking through wet grass in the morning. ◾ Hunting is not allowed, but there may be hunting on adjacent private lands. ◾ No restrooms.

Best Seasons: Year round. Spring and fall provide excellent opportunities for migrating warblers, thrushes, and raptors.

Breeding Bird Atlas Block: Walkersville SE

Local MOS Chapter: Frederick Bird Club

Official Website
Trail Map
eBird Hotspot
Google Photo Gallery

Fred J. Archibald Audubon Sanctuary

6011 Boyers Mill Rd, New Market, MD 21774
centralmdaudubon@gmail.com

The Fred J. Archibald Audubon Sanctuary is a 140-acre site that is owned and managed by the Audubon Society of Central Maryland. It is located northwest of New Market in the Linganore Creek watershed.

The sanctuary contains a good mix of habitats, including mature bottomland hardwood forest; managed warm season grass meadows; scrub-shrub areas; and several small freshwater streams, including Cherry Run, which flows from south to north near the eastern boundary of the sanctuary.

Eastern Bluebird and Purple Martin nesting boxes are dotted along the  network of maintained trails that wind throughout the sanctuary, and it is small enough to be explored thoroughly in a visit. A small pavilion houses a picnic table and information kiosk. See the trail map at the link in the orange box in the At a Glance section of this webpage.

Birdlife:

Over 145 species have been reported to eBird from the hotspot for Fred Archibald Sanctuary.

In the fall and winter, many species of sparrows can be found in large numbers around the edges of the grassy meadows.

Breeding birds include Barred Owl, Eastern Bluebird, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Wood Thrush, Green Heron, Red-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and several sparrow and woodpecker species.

During migration, the Fred Archibald Sanctuary is a good site for wood warblers as well as raptors and sparrows..

Wheelchair Access:

The trails are not wheelchair-accessible. There may be fairly good birding around the parking area. No restroom.

Pet Policy:

No pets.

Special Designations: 

The sanctuary is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement with the Maryland Environmental Trust.

Special Features:

  • Many species of butterflies can be found at Fred Archibald Audubon Sanctuary.
  • Collecting of specimens (plants or animals) is not allowed.
  • A project page on iNaturalist documents observations of plants and animals at Fred Archibald Sanctuary. If you visit, you can add your observations to the project.
  • A survey of plants at Fred Archibald was completed in 2019 by Angela Moxley, a graduate student at Hood College who is active in the Audubon Society of Central Maryland. She documented 217 plant species. The Audubon Society is using her findings on invasive plants to develop management strategies.
  • A study of nocturnal insects at Fred Archibald and Audrey Carroll sanctuaries was conducted in summer 2021 by Emilio Concari, an undergraduate student at University of Maryland Baltimore County. His findings are included in the iNaturalist project page for Fred Archibald as well as the Audrey Carroll project page.
  • The Audubon Society of Central Maryland offers guided walks at Fred Archibald and other locations; see their events schedule for details.

Local MOS Chapter:

The local chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society is the Frederick Bird Club, which hosts fields trips and meetings with informative presentations, all free and open to the public. Of course, the Audubon Society of Central Maryland also provides activities for birders in Frederick County; see their website for details.

Multimedia: 

The Audubon Society of Central Maryland’s YouTube channel features presentations on birds and birding recorded at their monthly meetings and on other occasions. .

Parking:

A small gravel parking area is at the entrance to the sanctuary, just off Boyer’s Mill Road.

Directions:

From New Market, MD, go west on MD Route 144/Old National Pike and turn right (north) onto Boyer’s Mill Road. Travel north on Boyer’s Mill Road for 1.1 miles. The entrance to the sanctuary is on the right, marked by a green post and “Audubon” sign at a small gravel parking area. If you reach Finn Drive on the left, you’ve gone too far.

Nearby Sites:

Frederick County: Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary ◾ C&O Canal – Mouth of Monocacy to Brunswick ◾ Catoctin Mountain Park ◾ Cunningham Falls State Park ◾ Gambrill State Park ◾ Lilypons Water Gardens ◾ Seymour B. Cooper MOS Sanctuary ◾ Sugarloaf Mountain

Habitats:

Bottomland Deciduous Forests Hay Meadows, Pasture, Grass FieldOld Fields, Shrubby Meadows Rivers & Streams

Features:

BeginnersFree - No Entry Fee at Any TimeHiking/Walking TrailsNative Plant Garden or Meadow/Pollinator PlantsParkingPicnic AreaYoung People / Families

Type:

Private Sanctuaries and Preserves