MOLD!! Ick! Check feeders (and under them!) ASAP

Mold can be deadly for our wild birds! See thebyn.com/mold to find out the best (and easiest!) way to clean your bird feeders.

Nature Themed Gifts for Summertime Fun

The Backyard Naturalist has gifts for all ages in every budget.

Shop Small

Please support your favorite small businesses with your patronage.


Shopping local, small businesses in your own backyard, benefits your entire community.


Rock, Mineral, Crystal & Fossil Specimens. . . we have the area's best selection outside the Smithsonian Gift Shop!
And we've just added more.


A sample of our unique gifts:
Made by Local Artisans:
Sligo Creek Hand-Glazed Tiles
Alice's Cottage Textiles
Corinthian Bells Chimes

Made in the USA

Along with almost ALL of our wild bird feeders, bird houses and bird baths, here are more of our products Made in The USA:
Gary Starr Bird Ornaments
Yardbirds Junkyard Dogs & Cats
Adagio & Sienna Sky Earrings
Pottery Earring Holders
Clocks, Nightlights and Magnets
Swarovski Crystal Sun Catchers

Fair Trade Around the World:
Seaglass & Driftwood Wind Chimes from Bali
Haitian Metal Folk Art
Handmade Baskets and Trivets from Rwanda & Uganda
And so many more!

And NEW! for local sports fans:
Redskins, Ravens, Capitals, Nationals and Orioles!!! We have officially licensed flags, mini-flags and doormats.

Celebrating Our 30th Year

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 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:

The BYN on Facebook

From The Backyard Blog

  • American Goldfinches nest later than others, timing their one brood with fibrous seeds from thistle, milkweed and other native plants.Watch (and Listen!) for Goldfinch Juveniles at Feeders
    Even though it’s Mid-September, NOW is the time to watch and listen for juvenile Goldfinches! Juvenile Goldfinches look like duller females, with tan on black wing bars Babies and juveniles have a distinctive Squeak! In fact, they are really squeaky!!! They are in a feeding frenzy at our …

The Backyard Blog Archive

‘Best Of’ Montgomery

Thank you for voting us ‘Best Of’
MoCo’s Best Gift Shop
Montgomery County, Maryland!!!

Visit Us or Call

The Backyard Naturalist
17910 Georgia Avenue
Olney MD 20832
See the map.

Contact Us:
(301) 924-0024

Email us at thebyn@gmail.com
but phone calls still work best!

Hours:
Mon-Sat 10-6 | Sun 12-5

Convenient free parking directly behind the store.

Flock with Us

View our YouTube channel See photos on Flickr

Or subscribe to our email updates:

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 almost 30 years, we've had the same 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.