As a storm rumbles outside, with the rest of his village of Berk training cohort having gone for…read morethe evening, Hiccup turns the pages of his Viking clan's most sacred possession: The Book of Dragons, a descriptive accounting of every dragon believed to exist, and reads aloud, "Strike class. Thunderdrum. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Timberjack. Skrill. Whispering Death. Burns its victims, buries its victims," Hiccup continues to flip pages, "chokes its victims, turns its victims inside out. Extremely Dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Night Fury. Size unknown. Speed unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon." Luckily, for those of us who have grown up with the much-less-risky and more accessible hobby of birding, there is no shortage of books that could instruct and fascinate audiences: David Allan Sibley's The Sibley Guide to Birds, Ken Kauffman's Lives of North American Birds, and, most recently, Amy Tan's Backyard Bird Chronicles, to name a few. But where should book lovers and birders alike head for suet, birdseed, and feeders of all kinds? If you live in the DMV, you could choose no better destination than Wild Birds Unlimited, located at 6955 Oakland Mills Rd in Columbia, Maryland, which just happens also to be next door to the Queen Takes Book bookstore. With culinary avian delectables ranging from Bark Butter Bits to no-melt super suet and feeders ranging from cardinal-, hummingbird-, finch-, and bluebird-specific feeders to Eco-tough, FeatherWeight, squirrel-proof, and tray feeders, and a staff that is both welcoming and knowledgeable, Wild Birds Unlimited in Columbia is a dreamlike destination not unlike How to Train Your Dragon's Berk, but other locations can be found in 43 states.

WBU in Columbia is amazing. The staff is kind and helpful and really know what they are talking…read moreabout. The store is peaceful and filled with high-quality and reasonably priced bird items. I can't wait to try out the cool events they have.

Such a neat store. I'm used to walking in stores where it smells like feed. This store does not…read more With a bird sanctuary down the road, attracting birds with some feed will allow you to view them a bit more closely!

Very helpful with bird feeders and how to put together for my yard! Had the shell free sunflower…read moreseed in large bags and small. Good selection of bird feeder types too!

Awesome across the board! The arrangement of birds in the…read moreability to interact makes your experience wonderful.

Very well stocked store with knowledgeable staff. Varied selection and a must go for bird lovers.read more

Always buy my seed and feeders here. They're knowledgeable about birds and are great at giving…read moreadvice to a novice bird enthusiast!

Wonderful, friendly and very knowledgeable staff. They were super helpful and could answer all my…read morequestions! This place is great!

The owner Kate is so knowledgeable in her products and birds! The store has so many things that are…read moreneeded for a bird feeding hobby if you're interested! You're also supporting a local business. If you frequent often I would suggest becoming a member as the food is cheaper. Staff has always been very helpful. If you have any questions about your hobby don't be afraid to ask them.

First time in this store. Kate, the owner, and her staff were very helpful and informative and…read moreanswered all my questions. I was able to get the items I needed and on sale too! We'll be back!

Amazing customer service! So many amazing products for a great price. All the employees are so…read moregenuine, kind and love to help

Hands down the best bird supply store I've been to. My husband and I were new to the activity and…read morewhen we asked for help, the ladies there didn't miss a beat and set us up with everything we needed and nothing we didn't. We opted for their pole starter kit and a couple feeders with the cylinder seeds. We described the area where we lived and the kinds of birds we'd noticed in the trees. They suggested we add the attachment that allowed incorporating branches to the pole so that birds could fly in and perch before landing on the feeder. SOOO pleased that we did! The store stocks a few of each kind of item but those items have been tested and vetted as working well and not just because it looks pretty. We've been overwhelmed at other stores when the options were just too numerous. They have a bird bucks program that's worth joining for discounted food.

Bottom Line: A fantastic store with quality bird feeder products, lovely garden things and…read moredelightful staff. I really thought that the Wild Bird Center was a place where old people shopped so they could get some bird seed to attract company on slow days. I say that jokingly because my parents are long time customers of the Wild Bird Center and they have a plethora of bird feeders and often discuss the flock of native birds that visit them. Have you ever seen that Geico commercial where the old lady is telling her son over the phone about the squirrels in the attic while he's being chased by bad guys on a skyscraper rooftop? Yeah, its kinda like that with my parents telling me about their birds at the most importune time. Anyway, I've digressed, significantly. In search of some bird feeder related items for my parents I visited the Wild Bird Center in Park Plaza for the first time in December. I am so sorry I didn't visit sooner. This store is fantastic! As the name implies, they have plenty of quality bird feeders and a variety of bird seed that is appropriate for the local birds. I was in search of seed for my parents' Squirrel Buster bird feeder that would attract little cute birds and not make a mess. The staff was able to immediately point me to the best seed for that scenario. With my errand complete, I then enjoyed looking around the store at garden decor, hand painted ornaments, wind chimes, books, and such, I think I might even have seen some bees wax products. As far as the staff goes, they are delightful and helpful! I really enjoyed their welcoming and positive spirit and all of my interactions with them. I look forward to returning to the Wild Bird Center to do some more shopping.

Jamie was amazing! Very helpful and a joy to talk to! I look forward to my next visit!…read more From another Jamie

Visited here for the first time recently and highly recommend!…read more They have a wide selection of treats, food and d toys for your furbabies! They also have a bathing station if you are in need of space for big dogs. The lady working up front was also super friendly! She had her dogs with her and we talked briefly. The prices are hit or miss. I would recommend looking up the prices and comparing before you purchase. For example, one of our cat's favorite banana toy is reaching its end so wanted to get a new one. Here it was $11.99 compared to $7.99 on Amazon. However other toys were better, the Kong avocato i purchased was $5.99 when it was higher elsewhere.

Great place to do a self wash for your dog. They supply shampoo and towels. The setup makes it easy…read moreto reach them and the water pressure and temperature was perfect. The cost was $15 but if you buy something you get $5 off.