Feed the food web.
Explore what locally native plants can offer birds, then choose for your light, soil and space.
Explore native plantsNatural curiosity. Everyday habitat.
Bring a little
wild home.
Remarkable birds. Thoughtful gardens. A closer connection to the world just outside your window.
October 2026 / The autumn editionMid-Atlantic roots. Coastal Maine stories.Independent. Curious. Grounded.
Notes from the living world
Ordinary places.
Extraordinary neighbors.
Seasonal observation / Goldfinches
Same bird.
A quieter wardrobe.
Look beyond the bright yellow. A familiar bird has a different look for the colder months.
Read the field note
Bird behavior / Chickadees
A small call.
A bigger story.
Follow the research behind the chickadee’s remarkable alarm calls.
Look closer
The food web / Blue Jays
The forest
has a gardener.
The noisy neighbor, the acorn, and a story that reaches beyond the feeder.
Follow the storySelect the cover to look inside · Digital PDF
The October field guide / Digital edition
Less guesswork.
More looking.
Meet six familiar birds. Choose a native plant for your space. Keep a record of what you notice. The Backyard Birdwatching Starter Kit brings a thoughtful beginning into twelve useful pages.
Made for DC, Maryland and Virginia, with guidance to adapt across the Mid-Atlantic.
Planned price $24 · Purchase opens soon
A useful place to begin
One small change.
Made with care.
A garden, a balcony, a favorite window. Start with the space and time you have.
Make glass visible.
Learn why birds collide with windows and what an effective exterior treatment looks like.
A safer viewGive curiosity a place.
The original free field guide offers seed and feeder notes, regional prompts and a first-month plan.
Get the free guideFrom the backyard / A moving field note
Nothing staged.
Everything to notice.
A cardinal. A feeder. An ordinary moment worth a second look. Watch the pause before the next movement.
More from @backyardbirdhavenA note from Eliz Carpenter
Rooted in place.
Led by curiosity.
I grew up on coastal Maine’s Quahog Bay and now call Northern Virginia home. Backyard Bird Haven connects the pleasure of noticing birds with useful ways to care for the places we share.
Personal field notes sit alongside research and practical guidance, with sources you can follow for yourself.
Our editorial approach