Best Times for Bird Watching

There is something to be said for the chase being most of the fun in life. If you have caught the bird watching bug, the chase is definitely going to be part of your task in gaining new entries for your life list. Simply put, there are good, okay and great times to seek out sightings. Understand these times and you will be on your way to some excellent sightings.

A common mistake when birding is to assign human emotions and behavior to the birds you are viewing. Birds may appear to react as such, but they are not following typical human behavior. Instead, they appear to be primarily reacting to stimulus. This means it is foolhardy to assume they will follow the same schedule as we do. Yes, there are some similarities, but not too many.

The old cliché is the early bird gets the worm. As with most clichés, there is something to this one. Most species of birds tend to be active early in the morning, much as humans are unless I haven’t had my coffee yet. No, birds don’t drink coffee, but many species definitely have a hankering for breakfast. Plan on heading out early if you want to sight a particular species in an active phase.

Ironically, one of the poorer times to pursue bird watching is in the middle of the day. Although birds are in view, this tends to be an inactive time for many species. A better time to catch them is in the late afternoon when activity picks up before the onset of evening.

Undoubtedly, you are thinking of a variety of species that do not fit within this general guideline and you are correct to do so. The simple fact is every type of bird has different patterns of activity. The obvious examples are owls, which certainly are not going to be of much interest during the day given the fact most species are sleeping. The lesson, therefore, is to take a close look at the particular species you are interested in and then tailor your viewing habits to its schedule.

The best times for bird watching can generally be said to be the early morning and late afternoon. To avoid the occasional disappointment, make sure to research the specific tendencies of any particular bird you wish to observe.

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Bird Watching Binoculars – Critical Bird Watching Equipment

Avid bird watching enthusiasts often look like pack mules hiking to a gold rush in the west. Bird watching binoculars are one of the critical pieces of equipment they carry.

Binoculars

There are a lot of issues when it comes to choosing binoculars for bird watching. Optics and personal preference seem to be the foremost, but here is a list of issues you should consider.

Bashability

Bashability isn’t really a word in the English language, but it certainly applies to bird watching. The bashability of binoculars refers to how tough they are. For instance, if you drop them on the driveway while loading the car, will they hold up? What if you drop them off a small cliff? More than a few people have been surprised to learn that binoculars go out of whack when bashed. Now, I realize you would never drop them or subject them to anything but the finest treatment.

Costs

I like wine. I drink wine. Unless I am standing at the cash register, I can’t really tell the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and one selling for $100. Bird watching binoculars seem to run along the same lines.

You can buy bird watching binoculars for as much as $1,000. Do you need to spend this money? No. My personal experience has revealed binoculars in the $200 to $400 range perform well and I’ve never missed a sighting because of their quality.

Feel

This may sound obvious, but you need to buy binoculars that are comfortable. Ideally, you are going to lug these babies around for 10 or 20 years. Make sure they “fit” your face and spacing of your eyes. Also, make sure they don’t weigh too much. After a few hours of birding, this can become an issue.

If you’re going to be a birder, you’re going to need binoculars. Like wine, you can go overboard on them, but don’t need to.

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