If you’re interested in birdwatching you will probably already know that there are many factors involved in trying to catch a glimpse. There are certain times of the day when it is best to view certain species, depending on levels of food and daylight, and that same logic can be applied to different times of the year.

Some seasons are more bountiful than others in terms of the range of species to be seen, and that’s all down to migration. In parts of the world, you can sometimes get a triple whammy: resident species, ones about to leave for elsewhere, and ones coming in from elsewhere.

It’s often a good idea to keep a journal or note in your diary or calendar if you become aware of such a surge, and plan for it for the next time. Chances are, if it happened once it can happen again.

You can also try to find out if your location falls under known migratory routes (called flyways, and some species from the Americas have already been mapped here), increasing your chances of seeing rare species to your part of the world just passing overhead, or stopping off for a few days break.

One birder noted that in the first few days in May of one year, a type of warbler not normally seen in those parts rested awhile in his garden for three days, and then just left again.

Not thinking much of it, time passed and when he saw the same type of bird, he noted that it was indeed the first week of the following May.

For four years that bird appeared around the 5th of May, stocked up at his feeders and took a few day’s rest, then moved on.

Some seasons are more bountiful than others in terms of the range of species to be seen.

When we talk about migrants, we are almost always talking about those birds who fly incredibly long journeys between the north and south latitudes, wintering grounds to breeding sites. Migration happens twice a year, in the autumn and spring.

Birds heading off on their autumn migration to spend the winter elsewhere have been noted to take their time about doing so, with some birds leaving their summer breeding grounds as early as late August, whilst others from the same species may stay around up until the end of November / beginning of December.

This delayed and protracted departure is thought to be down to the fact that some birds have sufficiently stored up enough fat and body mass whilst others are eking out the last few morsels of available food to assist them on their journey.

There is more urgency to the spring migration, as competition for breeding sites upon arrival is fierce.

One day in spring there’ll be loads of geese everywhere, and the next day they will all have vanished, honking off into the distance.

Find out if your location falls under known migratory routes.

Combined with the spectacular displays of leaves turning, the arrival of huge groups of birds in the autumn makes this season the most popular among birdwatchers, so we’ll start there.

Falling leaves and landing birds

If you live near any shorelines, either coastal, estuarine or lakes, this is one of the best times of year to see a huge range of waders like red and greenshanks, curlews, sandpipers, godwits, avocets, gulls, oystercatchers, dunlin, many types of duck and other water birds like lapwing and plovers.

Because these birds tend to arrive in huge numbers, the chances are you will also see a bird of prey trying to get some lunch – if the birds suddenly “go up”, that is take off en masse, look for the bit where the group divides into two or more sections in the air, and you can usually spot a larger, quicker and more direct bird, usually a kestrel or buzzard, depending on the flock under attack.

As well as these migrants arriving, you may also be treated to the odd “vagrant”, birds who have either been blown off course or become disoriented on their journey.

It’s worth finding out if there are any databases or online resources in your area to keep tabs on for rare bird sightings. Birders are very happy to share their findings, and you can keep track of any in the UK here, or any from the USA here.

Keep an eye on the weather as storms can often bring vagrants, as well as trigger an influx of birds once the storm has passed, as they will have waited it out elsewhere and then continued on their way in the all-clear.

As autumn is also harvest time, fields, orchards, or any outdoor space with crops or fruiting trees and shrubs are great places to keep watch as hordes of starlings, crows, thrushes and buntings strip trees of their cherries and berries, or take advantage of some excellent windfall foods like apples, walnuts, beech nuts and acorns.

Drifting clouds of undulating larks, bramblings and twites can be spotted amongst the stubble of harvested cornfields.

Birdy it's cold outside

Heading into winter, keep an eye out for later arrivals to any known wintering grounds nearby, and for your resident birds, make sure your feeders are topped up.

‍Reduced daylight hours will mean your chances of some good birdwatching are narrowed a little, but this is the time when the birds are practically seeking food all day, building up their fat reserves for the cold nights ahead.

As many trees have also lost their leaves you stand a better chance of spotting any perched nearby, but also keep a watch on evergreen trees, as a lot of birds will head there for shelter.

Birds will roost together in larger numbers during the cold months, swapping information about food sites and just huddling together to keep warm, waiting for the night-time temperatures to begin to creep back up.

A new year

Spring means another migration, with your winter birds heading out in February to early March and the birds coming for breeding season heading in.

You can also see many birds begin their nesting preparations, wrens flitting among the hedgerows collecting moss, crows gathering sticks and bracken, long tailed tits and redstarts plucking moulted feathers from the ground and sheep’s wool from barbed wire fences.

This is the perfect time to put up artificial nests or bird boxes, or make sure any existing ones have been cleaned out and are mite-free.

If you are erecting a bird box, make sure it is high enough off the ground away from predators like rats, stoats, squirrels or even your neighbourhood cat, at a slight angle downwards so it’s harder for any of the aforementioned to get a good grip, and also check the direction of the sun on a normal bright day – overheating in the box can dehydrate and eventually kill the new-borns.

Ideally place them northeast, away from any prevailing wind and bad weather.

A walk through the woods in spring can be deafening.

Securing breeding sites brings with it the annual shouting match as birds fill the air with calls and songs, each marking their territory as best they can.

A walk through the woods in spring can be deafening! The only time I’ve ever been dive-bombed by a kingfisher was in the spring, along a regular riverside walk, clearly too close to a bankside nest.

Sun, sand, and seeds

Breeding season is upon us in the summer months, with many birds undergoing vibrant plumage colour changes to attract mates.

Be wary of nest sites and don’t disturb the occupants, just sit back and watch the parents going to and from the nests on a constant speed-dial for food.

As summer goes on, however, many birds tend to stay hidden a bit more as they moult – old damaged feathers are replaced with strong, new ones, and a bird waiting to grow feathers is a vulnerable bird.

If you spot any feathers on the ground at the base of a tree, it’s quite likely there’s a bird up there somewhere, so keep note and look a little later on. The moult means that birds tend to be quieter so as not to draw attention to themselves.

Summer is also the time when birds seem to shun your feeders as the world offers up its natural resources, but keep them topped up anyway, as birds are the ultimate opportunist and will rarely pass on a free easy meal.

One behaviour to watch out for when the sun is out is a practice called “sunning”. Literally sunbathing, birds like jays, doves, pigeons, sparrows and very noticeably cormorants will spread their plumage as much as possible, often lying flat on the ground or standing on a steady flat surface far from predators, with good visuals all around, as they turn their backs to the sun’s rays.

This is thought to help with feather regeneration and parasite management, trying to get as much sunlight and vitamins to their skin beneath.

Creating a shallow dip in dry earth covered with a layer of fine sand to form a dust bath can be a great way to attract sunning birds in need of a good scratch and preen.

And back around we are again in autumn!

‍You can see there is always something in every season to watch out for, so never give up as any birdwatching is good birdwatching – without realising, you’ll be sensing patterns and picking up valuable information about behaviours, and it won’t be long before you’ll instinctively know where to look next year.