Ask us for a tour! See our favorite gift items and more, in person, in our building next door! For a sneak peek, see our Annex page!
Although our main store (closed to the public for now) is too snug for socially-distanced activity, the Annex has just enough space for 2-3 individuals wearing masks (including a member of The Backyard Naturalist team) to maneuver six feet apart.
Wild Birds Must Maximize Nutrition at Each Feeding Opportunity
Empty calories are lost nourishment! Wild birds must be efficient eaters to survive. They seek the best nutritional content available and eat their fill quickly. Feeding birds bread (Please never feed bread!) or seed blends full of ‘filler seed’ is essentially robbing them of opportunities for full nourishment. In winter, a stomach filled with empty calories will not give a wild bird enough energy to stay warm. Read More about “Quality Bird Seed and Clean Feeders Matter”…
The Backyard Naturalist is the area's largest and oldest independent retailer of products for wild birds and gifts for nature lovers of all ages! Proudly serving Maryland and the Washington, DC metro area for over thirty years.
We are Maryland's first and only store to be awarded Droll Yankees' Five Feather Platinum Premier dealer status.
We take care of our feathered friends’ needs year-round:
Our emails are rare birds and fly in as seasonal reminders carrying noteworthy information. We promise their chicks will never hatch in your InBox.
Our mailing list NEVER migrates, so your info stays private.
Our Mission
For over 30 years, The Backyard Naturalist has had this mission:
To inspire our community to appreciate and nurture the nature found in all our backyards by providing a sanctuary of food, water and shelter for wild birds.
Each of our backyard habitats contributes to the health and well-being of not only the individual visitors to our feeders and baths, but is also one more piece of habitat restored and connected to Migratory Flyways. As green space increasingly disappears due to development, our backyard micro habitats link together, backyard by backyard, across our county – our state – our country.
