Tips for nocturnal birds (1 Viewer)

[Nichoglez]

Hello everyone

I have been occasionally birding for a few years now, but I realize I haven't seen almost any of the nocturnal birds from my area. I am based at the Yucatan Peninsula and mostly go birding to dense lowland forest (jungle). So I would like know, what is the best time of the day/night to see nocturnal birds and how to look for them? I suppose I need a lantern or light but what kind is better?

Any tips are very welcomed. Thank you in advice!

 

[DMW]

Best times to go out are typically the hour before dawn and after dusk. The easiest way to find most nocturnal birds is to go to places with good habitat and good visibility (eg roads through forest or clearings), and listen for calls / song. You can then either try to attract them to you with recordings, or try to track them down by locating them as they call. Half light at dawn and dusk are good times as you can often make out shapes as they fly or perch. And yes, a good torch is essential.
Some nocturnal birds, notably nightjars, can be found by sweeping a powerful torch across open ground and looking for eyeshine.

 

[jurek]

Note, that many owls have low density, so you need to cover much ground. They are also vocal in some parts of the season only. When taping by recordings, owls have a frustrating habit of flying silently directly towards you and perching immobile, so noticing them is difficult.

There are forum dedicated only for torches / spotlights. You need one with a good 'throw' or the distance for which the light beam projects, and rechargeable batteries. I had several spotlights over the years, the current model is Fenix TK 15 UE but there are other good ones. For noticing bird eyeshine, the light should be held in a line close to eyes. You may also think about (much more expensive) thermal imager.

 

[GHOV02]

Never found one here but have seen many in my friends area, Once the Sun goes down, you probably won't see many birds at all. Unless they're nocturnal, like owls, most birds seem to disappear with the last rays of sunlight.

 

[Nichoglez]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice, I find them very enriching. I'll get a torch and get ready to look for some owls and nightjars.

I really appreciate your response.

 

[MiddleRiver]

Respectful owl photography and observation

Learn how to interpret owl behavior to make sure you are not disturbing owls when photographing or observing them, and learn the dos and don'ts of photographing and observing owls.

www.internationalowlcenter.org