Howard County Bird Club
Alpha Ridge Park
11685 Old Frederick Rd/Md 99, Marriottsville, MD 21104
Size: 72 acres
Habitat: Open areas, wet meadow, pond with cattails, deciduous floodplain woods, small amount of coniferous woods, stream.
Best Months: April–May; September–October.
Coverage Time: 30 minutes to an hour or more.
Trails/Paths: No trails or paths except sidewalks in the vicinity of the ballfields and pavilions; a mown strip behind the tennis courts provides a view of the meadow as well as access to the south side of the pond.
Notable Birds: Northern Pintail, Wild Turkey, American Bittern, Cattle Egret, Merlin, Glaucous Gull, Red-headed Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, Marsh Wren, American Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Pine Siskin.
Amenities: Portable toilets year-round; two pavilions, tot lot, tennis courts, ballfields, and in-line hockey rinks.
Handicapped Access: Limited. Paved paths and parking lots in vicinity of athletic fields.
Operation and Hours: Howard County park; dawn to dusk.
Special Attractions: One of the county’s most easily accessible sites for nesting Warbling Vireo, Blue Grosbeak, and orioles.
Howard County Recreation and Parks information
Nearby Sites: Marriottsville (PVSP), Henryton (PVSP), David Force Park, Mount Pleasant, West Friendship Park.
Compiler: Ralph Cullison.