• 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.

What do you do in bad weather? (1 Viewer)

S

Steve Thomas

New member
Hi everyone, I am new to birding and was wondering, what do you do in bad weather and unable to go out birding? Do you do anything to do with the hobby ? I live in the county of Somerset UK and we have a lot of rain and bad weather this time of year and was wondering if there is anything I could be doing?.

Happy New year to all.

Steve
 
Yep, forums are always good :t: I also catch on reading bird & wildlife magazines which get neglected in the busier times of the year.

Another thing I like to do is work out what species I haven't seen or often keep missing and go through local bird club reports (and BF again!) and work out a rough plan of what places to go at certain times of the year.

I've also started sketching again after years of procrastinating and love these long evenings (and wet days) when I can sit at my desk and draw without feeling guilty that I should be outdoors.

And there's always a load of wildlife programmes I've recorded on my Sky box which need watching too! :-O
 
Process the photos I take on fine days; work out where I'm going on my next birding excursion/birding holiday/targeted photographic trip; tinker with gear; catch up various lists (I still prefer physical biro marks on a list to software); post on here; admire other people's pictures in the gallery and on flickr.

It's hard to find time to fit it all in!

John
 
Steve Thomas said:
Hi everyone, I am new to birding and was wondering, what do you do in bad weather and unable to go out birding? Do you do anything to do with the hobby ? I live in the county of Somerset UK and we have a lot of rain and bad weather this time of year and was wondering if there is anything I could be doing?.

Happy New year to all.

Steve
Click to expand...

Put on some decent waterproofs and do some 'bad-weather birding' ;)
(saying that, I'm watching the birds through the window at the moment!).
 
I like to watch my feeders. For some reason I often have my best days during rain/snow. When not staring out the window and obsessively trying to count all the juncos and House Finches, I like to go on BirdForum (more recently), read (or re-read) my bird magazines, or watch an animal show (DVD/tape).
 
Read this thread! rainy outside my office today andI've just chickened out of a walk round my patch.

Congratulations on getting out there and scoring Stonefaction - it nearly inspired me to do the same.

Instead I will go to the bank for my wife . . . and this is an option that is definitely worthy of consideration. Scoring Brownie points now which could be cashed in when you really want to go out and the chores are stacking up can be well worth it!

NB The key thing is to secure acknowledgement of the sacrifice you're making by doing the chore now!

Cheers
Mike
 
My preferred approach to bad weather is to find a local reserve which has hides close to a car park and just watch whatever comes along rather than actively searching for anything unusual. If the weather's too bad even for that, I catch up on tasks around the house, which I'm always behind on due to too much time out watching birds.
 
I agree with Swindon Addick, however sometimes you just have to go for it. I remember watching the Farmoor Buff-bellied Pipit in atrocious conditions and the weather at Dungeness for the Acadian Flycatcher wasn't too great, either.

Dave W
 
I also like Swindon Addick's idea, but my nearest hide is about 2 hours away so I don't go too often.

Worth a look is the Swarovski Birding Game. As far as I can see there are different versions for mobile devices and p.c.

The p.c. version has more locations and a greater variety of species, the tablet version just has one u.k. and one u.s. location. Some of the other birding apps have similar quizzes too.
 
If it's really wet before I left the house I'll probably watch birds in the garden. If I'm out I'd look for a sheltered part lucky my local patch has lots of sheltered woodland parts.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 8 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

L
What to look for in central PA during the winter
Replies
2
Views
555
tenex
tenex
B
I genuinely need help understanding something
Replies
8
Views
661
Andy Adcock
Andy Adcock
E
Bad weather brings good birds, but you can't bird in bad weather!
Replies
18
Views
1K
David Ferguson
D
J
  • Poll
Do you count heard only birds on your life list?
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
2K
Lisa W
Lisa W
raymie
  • Locked
How Do You Pronounce ____________?
6 7 8
Replies
142
Views
8K
MJB
MJB

Users who are viewing this thread

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