Hi. In the special literature they say that most migratory birds make wide range journeys to their wintering places and back to their nesting areas. So, I think its possible to see migrating birds in different places, but I never saw such birds as birds-of-pray, waders and other shore birds in their journeys to their wintering areas. May be I choose wrong places for watching or don't know how to watch?
-
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.
How and where to watch migrating birds in the sky? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter forest_77
- Start date
Stonefaction
Dundee Birding....(target 150 in 2024).
Search for 'vis-mig' or 'vis-migging' via Google for lots of advice on the hows and wheres of watching visible migration (shortened to vis-mig). A lot will depend on your available locations, times of year and times of day, as well as weather conditions as to how much you will see. Birds will sometimes follow natural features such as rivers, coastlines and ridges/valleys so your position relative to these may play a part in how much you see (or hear). I've tried standing at the top of the highest hill in the city, for the first 3 or 4 hours in the morning in September/October and have had some success, seeing birds mostly moving westwards or in a southwesterly direction. I've also seen birds following the river westwards too, though the numbers are never particulary high. Birds of prey tend to move once the temperature has risen, allowing them to gain height and soar with minimal effort on thermals.
Stonefaction
Dundee Birding....(target 150 in 2024).
Ratal, based on forest_77's profile flag, I assumed that they were based in Belarus (and asking about potential locations there) which obviously is a landlocked country with no coastline, or indeed any other obvious migration hotspots/routes - though my knowledge of Belarussian geography is from a quick scan of Google Earth, so will be rather incomplete. It may be that there are mountain ranges/valleys which will funnel migrants but local expertise is probably going to be required. My knowledge of where to seek out that local information is even more limited than my knowledge of Belarus' geography.
Last edited:
Xenospiza
Distracted
You can see migrating birds anywhere, but the amounts will vary.
As Belarus does not have a coastline, there will not likely be a lot of concentrated migration.
If you live near a (big) river, try to find a place where you can see that. It is helpful if you have a wide view and some forest nearby.
If there are no rivers available, a lake or marsh can also be good. A hill with a wide view is also helpful.
It all depends a bit on what type of area you live. I prefer not to travel far, so I just picked a location 15 minutes from my home where I go every day (but often just a short time in the evening).
For raptors, the last few hours of the day can be good because they come down to roost. An area with good feeding opportunities (like a marsh) can also be a place to pick: I often see Marsh Harriers come down to hunt where I watch migration.
Seeing waders migrating inland is really hard, because they mostly fly at night. To see them, a wetland is best: they may come down to investigate. They are also more likely to be seen in bad weather (rain showers, bad visibility).
But I have to warn you that it can take a lot of time to see migrating birds!
As Belarus does not have a coastline, there will not likely be a lot of concentrated migration.
If you live near a (big) river, try to find a place where you can see that. It is helpful if you have a wide view and some forest nearby.
If there are no rivers available, a lake or marsh can also be good. A hill with a wide view is also helpful.
It all depends a bit on what type of area you live. I prefer not to travel far, so I just picked a location 15 minutes from my home where I go every day (but often just a short time in the evening).
For raptors, the last few hours of the day can be good because they come down to roost. An area with good feeding opportunities (like a marsh) can also be a place to pick: I often see Marsh Harriers come down to hunt where I watch migration.
Seeing waders migrating inland is really hard, because they mostly fly at night. To see them, a wetland is best: they may come down to investigate. They are also more likely to be seen in bad weather (rain showers, bad visibility).
But I have to warn you that it can take a lot of time to see migrating birds!
BirdLife International curates a list of IBAs (Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas). As per the article, among them are stopover sites for migratory birds. Here's a map of all KBAs (Key Biodiversity Areas) and hence also IBAs. Quite recently, all these have also been integrated into eBird (they go by their international names).
