Alpha Ridge Park

• 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: 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.