Birds Mill Swamp is a

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

located just west of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...

on the

Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

region of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It lies between

Maryland Route 468 Maryland Route 468 (MD 468) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs from Snug Harbor Road in Shady Side north to MD 214 in Edgewater in Anne Arundel County. MD 468 is a J-shaped route that connects Edgewater with ...

(also known as Muddy Creek Road) and Route 2 and is just south of Mill Swamp Road. Its coordinates are .

Ecosystem

Like most swamps surrounding the Chesapeake Bay, this small

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

body is classified as a bald cypress swamp. It is part of a

tributary system A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state conq ...

which feeds into the

Rhode River The Rhode River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tidal tributary of the West River in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It is south of the South River. ...

, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay itself. It is also home to many species including a variety of reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds, and aquatic vegetation. Unlike many swamps, it is untouched by humans except for a few dirt trails nearby. It is an important habitat for wildlife in the area. Birds Mill Swamp is one of more than one hundred swamps in Maryland.

Sources

{{Reflist Landforms of Anne Arundel County, Maryland Swamps of Maryland