• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Which time of the year for seawatching? (1 Viewer)

R

RedKnot

Member
I'm only 16, but I am very interested in birding and nature.

I have been birding for a bit more than 2 years now, but I haven't done almost any seawatching yet due to my location in Munich that's quite far away from the sea.

My question is now: What time of the year is best for seawatching?
 
Depends on what your interest is and how often you can get to the coast. Some birders seawatch nearly every day and in the most harshest conditions. If you are wanting to see a variety of "seabirds" then you have to optimise the times during Spring and Autumn migration, coupled with the weather conditions and site you're watching from. Perhaps you could do some research on sites such as https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw2wvTvpAu0dKrIkn7MfeB62 to find out what,when and where is suitable for you. It is not a straightforward subject I'm afraid to say, but good luck.
 
In the North Sea, generally the best time is August - September, when birds like Sooty Shearwater pass through. But other times of the year are better for other species; November is the best month for Little Auk. The best conditions are after strong north or northwest winds, which blow birds into the North Sea from the Atlantic.

If you want to see breeding seabirds (e.g. on Helgoland), then May to the end of June is best time.
 
Hi RedKnot,

The best, as others said, is August to October. Within this time, different species are different, e.g. Long-tailed Skuas and terns migrate much earlier than majority of auks and ducks.

From your perspective, however, most important is weather. For seawatching, best are very strong storms with the wind blowing from the sea towards the land. Best weather is the worst weather. They can be predicted using websites like windfinder or similar (surfers and sailors websites). In my practice from the Netherlands, there are only a few to a dozen good storm days in one season, and they can be predicted only few days in advance at most. If this happens during the weekend, grab your waterproof coat and waterproof trousers, fleece, cap, gloves and hot water bottle and book a train from Munich to Cuxhaven or whatever.

Otherwise, you can get bored to death looking at the nice, blue and empty sea.
 
jurek said:
Hi RedKnot,

The best, as others said, is August to October. Within this time, different species are different, e.g. Long-tailed Skuas and terns migrate much earlier than majority of auks and ducks.

From your perspective, however, most important is weather. For seawatching, best are very strong storms with the wind blowing from the sea towards the land. Best weather is the worst weather. They can be predicted using websites like windfinder or similar (surfers and sailors websites). In my practice from the Netherlands, there are only a few to a dozen good storm days in one season, and they can be predicted only few days in advance at most. If this happens during the weekend, grab your waterproof coat and waterproof trousers, fleece, cap, gloves and hot water bottle and book a train from Munich to Cuxhaven or whatever.

Otherwise, you can get bored to death looking at the nice, blue and empty sea.
Click to expand...
Nicely put! :-O


Yes, this is the sort of weather you want:

https://twitter.com/OJICID1/status/1219703929509801984?s=20 3:)
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

T
Should I buy ELs now or wait for more new product releases this year?
Replies
12
Views
818
LIL’Wren57
L
O
Cornwall Adventure
Replies
18
Views
1K
Original PaulE
O
TeamLeip
Birds of the World
Replies
5
Views
436
KC Foggin
KC Foggin
BenjiS
Benji's 2024 list
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
Owene
O
TeamLeip
Medium intensity Papua New Guinea bird tour
Replies
14
Views
887
jurek
jurek

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top