NPR

Heads up! Stunning birds are all around us, even in dense cities

If you pay attention, you can see or hear a wide variety of birds, especially in migration season.
Tykee James, president of the DC Audubon Society, and Erin Connelly, holding her 10-month-old son, Louis, search in the treetops in Fort Slocum Park in Washington, D.C.

This time of year, there are a lot of seasonal visitors to our nation's capital — the avian kind, that is. Washington, D.C., is rated as having the nation's best city park system, and migratory birds flock here on their journey north, many of them having traveled thousands of miles to nest and breed.

Early on a Sunday morning, I meet up with a few fellow birders to catch the tail end of spring migration. We Park, which formed part of the city's defenses in the Civil War. Just a few blocks long, it's set among brick rowhouses in the heart of D.C. But step into the park, up a slight hill, and the city quickly vanishes; you find yourself under a thick canopy of towering oaks and elms.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
The Announcement Of A New Prime Minister Divides Haiti's Transitional Council
A surprise announcement that revealed Haiti's new prime minister is threatening to fracture a recently installed transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for the gang-riddled country.
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
NPR Poll: Democrats Fear Fascism, And Republicans Worry About A Lack Of Values
A new 2024 election poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist shows fundamental divides over concerns for America's future and what to teach the next generation.
NPR5 min read
Here's This Year's List Of The Most Endangered Historic Places In The U.S.
The National Trust's annual list includes Eatonville, the all-Black Florida town memorialized by Zora Neale Hurston, Alaska's Sitka Tlingit Clan houses, and the home of country singer Cindy Walker.

Related Books & Audiobooks