It's very quiet this time of year on a birding front, so I was wondering what do fellow birders do this time of year? Are there suggested habitats or part of the country where birding opportunities can be maximised? Or do you down bins for a few weeks and catch up with other (long over-due?) activities?
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Quiet time of year - what to do...? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Stoggler
- Start date
TheSeagull
Well-known member
I just go to local nature reserves and the like, I still see plenty of birds along with the occasional amphibian, mammal and reptile. And it's a good season for butterflies as well.
Steve Lister
Senior Birder, ex County Recorder, Garden Moths.
The "quiet time" is over. I have just had a bird-filled week up in Yorkshire - loads of wader passage, with reports of goodies such as Collared Pratincole, Lesser Yellowlegs and even Upland Sandpiper while I was there. Some pretty good raptor watching too. And evening tern movements along the coast.
Down here in Leics/Rutland the reservoirs are attracting plenty of waders too, and loads of Little Egrets. For wader enthusiasts there seems to be a smaller and smaller gap between spring and summer each year.
The Seawatching Season is well underway along the west coasts but still sparse returns in the east.
Steve
Steve Babbs
Well-known member
Go abroad and/or look at other groups. Plenty of other wildlife out there.
And, as already said, this is peak wader time.
Marcus Conway - ebirder
Well-known member
Waders, Seawatching, Butterflies....
Unles you are a 'nomadic twitcher' with a ton of cash for petrol to burn, I think a good hard graft on your local patch is a brilliant way to get your birding kicks during the 'quiet time' There is allways something new to see. Might not be much on the 'rarities' front ( although you never know ), but it's a briliant time to brush up on your ID skills with the common species, especially by seeing them during the moult and in juvenile feather. Field craft can also be fine tuned. Although many people hear tawny owls, as an example, quite close to their homes ( even in towns and cities ) I bet many people don't bother to go out and try and see them, or find out where they hunt in an urban environment.
Also, when I really get 'birding cold turkey' I set my scope up at the full moon, forget the telly, and moon watch for a cpl of ours. the odd sillouette or two flying over the moon gives me a real buzz.
Also, when I really get 'birding cold turkey' I set my scope up at the full moon, forget the telly, and moon watch for a cpl of ours. the odd sillouette or two flying over the moon gives me a real buzz.
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Farnboro John
Well-known member
Dragonflies, Butterflies, Mammals (lots of naive juveniles out there and not enough darkness for them to get all their business done), Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish (never looked off a bridge at a school of Roach and Perch? Try it, very relaxing).
Try somewhere local that you've never been.
Go to a reserve you might not normally bother with.
Find a public activity that you might get something from, like a bat walk or moth night.
Do some photography of stuff you see all the time instead of the special birds etc on a trip. How good is your best House Sparrow pic?
I go mad thinking of all the things I simply haven't got time to do! Quiet time - what's that?
John
Try somewhere local that you've never been.
Go to a reserve you might not normally bother with.
Find a public activity that you might get something from, like a bat walk or moth night.
Do some photography of stuff you see all the time instead of the special birds etc on a trip. How good is your best House Sparrow pic?
I go mad thinking of all the things I simply haven't got time to do! Quiet time - what's that?
John
Enji
Well-known member
We never really have a quiet time... when the last northbound migrates pass by the first southbound already appear... and now the waders have started to arrive in greater numbers. A great time, since I truly love waders.
I find that there's always something to watch... and summer is a great time to study all the juveniles that can be tricky at a first glance.
I find that there's always something to watch... and summer is a great time to study all the juveniles that can be tricky at a first glance.
