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Which time of year do you like birdwatching the best? (1 Viewer)

IAN JAMES THOMPSON

IAN JAMES THOMPSON

Well-known member
Which time of year do you prefer to go birdwatching? Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter. I like them all equally, as all seasons I find exciting getting out and about with my binoculars. But I'm interested in other members opinions of there favourite season for birdwatching.
Ian.
 
Winter is good, especially at the start of the year when everything is "reset" and you start all over again. I used to always say Autumn was my favourite, but I'm changing now and try to maximise what I see during all the seasons. That being said, Autumn is still the most comfortable for me weather-wise and is the season when I generally prefer being outside, although early Spring when it's warming up but with a little bite in the air is still very pleasant.
 
Spring Autumn & Winter Summer is too quiet for birds I usually take the month of August off from Birding to enjoy The Edinburgh Festival and resume to Birding in September.
 
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In order, my favourite in Cyprus is Spring because it starts everything off and you get some fantastic visitors, then Autumn because of the reverse migration, followed by Winter which still has several interesting visitors around and then Summer which is hot, dry and only the bravest resident birds remain. However, on a plus point Summer's good for Dragonflies & Damselflies!


Shane
 
Tricky. Winter/early Spring is good, because then we take a holiday somewhere tropical with lots of birds. Then there's the rest of Spring for migrants, etc. Summer means fewer birds but some nice long hikes (assuming good weather). Autumn means a hiking holiday in the Med for some different birds plus the migrants back home. The rest of Winter generally means stomping around our small patch enjoying the wintering birds.
 
In order of preference,
Spring for me. A sort of renewal plus migrants and looking for the first arrivals.
Autumn. Passage Migrants and a coming coolness.
Winter. Sharp weather, sharp birds. A sense of expectation as to what the wind might blow in. Christmas escape to somewhere warm with birds.
Summer. Too many people around. Disturbance and so much leaf you cannot see the bleeders. Busy rearing chicks.
 
As I mentioned earlier I like all the year round for birdwatching. Every season is different and a pleasure to go birdwatching. As I don't have my own transport and can't drive, I've been a member of my Local RSPB Group and I go on every birdwatching coach with them every month of the year and I also GO on the Local Groups annual Birdwatching 7 day holiday, every year somewhere in the UK.
Ian.
 
We have consulted internally....

My inner twitcher plumps for October every time, though with a throwaway aside that the end of May can be quite interesting or even exciting!

The birdwatcher and aesthete (yes really) both go for winter in general: herds of wild swans bugling in the dawn and dusk on the Ouse Washes; vast skeins of Pinks cackling their way across an ice-blue sky on a very very crisp Norfolk morning; huge flocks of Fieldfares chacking as they fall out of the dusk sky into pine woods at Thursley. Everything counts in large amounts!

All of us are however agreed that the very very best birding of the year starts pre-dawn on the 1st of January, with the whole day ahead and possibilities bounded only by weather, speed, ability and luck as the team sets out to build the biggest possible list in the short day. Better by many country miles than getting totally stotius and sleeping it off till lunchtime!

John
 
<Better by many country miles than getting totally stotius and sleeping it off till lunchtime!>
I agree. As mentioned above I am usually somewhere warm over the infested season and if I can find some friendly Ellies on January 1st I know I am in for a good year.
 
Spring, autumn and winter for me. Summer birding is spent mostly watching the local birds in my area and trying to catch up on a few butterflies, but this summer has been a disaster for them because of almost non stop daily rain fall.

Si.
 
All seasons for me as each seasons produces more interest in the subjects of birds - and their life style o:)

Each, and every season has its true delights. I love that and never tire of it at all :t:
 
I like spring, but as soon as the leaves come out on the trees...ugh. Good bye visual sightings.

Autumn is are nice too. I can see myself liking winter birding but I've never really done it. In the UK winter and autumn feel like the same thing so I haven't done much of "proper" snow birding ;)
 
Spring. Freezing gull watches are just there to fill Dec and Jan. Summer here has the problem of chiggers in tall grass. Fall can be nice but I have not done fall here at my new site yet.
 
Definitely mid-winter: warm days and cool breezes, plus a lot of Tablelands and Interior birds come to Cairns; I found Grey Fantails on my block the other day for the first time ever. There's always something new and unexpected.
 
For my home / garden ---- late April has lots of Hummingbirds. Usually 4 species. All the surrounding country is green and / or flowers. Town is fun. 8000 college girls (I've been married 25 years) but they are a site to behold. Some spring migrants and many others still in the area (thousands of Waxwings), etc. I also like January when our local refuges have 30 million ducks, geese, cranes, swans, shorebirds, 'heron-types', and birds of prey. Loads of rats in the rice fields for the latter. A bounty. Things are dry and hot now. Thankfully doesn't bother the taco wagons...........
 

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