Sunrise or Sunset? (1 Viewer)

[Procreus]

Hello!
As a newbie in the birding world I've heard that during sunrise and sunset are when birds are most active. That I will agree with as the pond next to my house is loudest during those times each day. My question is, is that fairly accurate across the board for all birds? Are there some that are better found in the morning vs evening, or vice versa? For instance, I would imagine looking for something like an owl would be better done in the evening, but the more I think about it, I realize I've only seen them in person during the day so maybe that's not correct.

I've only gone birding once and that was in the morning, and would like to know if it's worth running out and doing after a long day of work.

Thanks for reading/assisting!
-Brandon

 

[delia todd]

Most birds are actively feeding at those times as they're unable to during the hours of darkness, so they're eager to either break their fast or get a decent feed in before it gets dark.

The are particularly busy when they have young to feed.

 

[Procreus]

Most birds are actively feeding at those times as they're unable to during the hours of darkness, so they're eager to either break their fast or get a decent feed in before it gets dark.

The are particularly busy when they have young to feed.

Thanks for the info! I'll have to check out some places during sunset since all the younglings are going to be here soon

 

[leonardo_simon]

Sunrise better as fewer people and dogs

 

[Mono]

Coastal birds will often be synced into the tide times, but that might not be so much of an issue in Idaho!

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

Hello!
As a newbie in the birding world I've heard that during sunrise and sunset are when birds are most active. That I will agree with as the pond next to my house is loudest during those times each day. My question is, is that fairly accurate across the board for all birds? Are there some that are better found in the morning vs evening, or vice versa? For instance, I would imagine looking for something like an owl would be better done in the evening, but the more I think about it, I realize I've only seen them in person during the day so maybe that's not correct.

I've only gone birding once and that was in the morning, and would like to know if it's worth running out and doing after a long day of work.

Thanks for reading/assisting!
-Brandon

I'm a relative novice myself, 'almost a year under my belt.

I'm the type who once out, I'll stay out for the day weather permitting, so I've seen a few sunrises and sunsets over the course of the last year.

I find the best time to watch birds is in the morning. In my limited experience, that is when they are most active. To a large extent that makes the morning the best time to take pictures of birds, but not always. I've found that some birds are seriously busy in the first few hours of the morning, and/or will sing from the very tops of high trees; rendering it difficult to get close enough to get a decent picture. After lunchtime, while not as numerous, some birds come lower down towards the ground and they're nowhere near as industrious, giving you a better chance of getting close. That doesn't answer your question directly, it's a point aside that I wouldn't automatically write off any time of the day.

 

[JTweedie]

I'm a big fan of morning watching too, especially in spring when we can hear the dawn chorus. There's something special about standing in a glade or some woodland on a calm early morning and watching bats and then hearing the first of the birds calling just as we approach sunrise. Then maybe a sighting of a deer crossing a shallow stretch of water, and then hearing the chorus get louder as more birds join in.

Middle of the day can be quiet with birds, but then we could use that time to look for other life - how about all the butterflies in summer, or maybe the chance of a reptile on a hot day?

At sunset we begin to see some bird species join up into roosts, so that's a good time to see lots of birds together rather than dispersed like they may have been earlier, and then as it gets darker some of the night birds come out as well as moths and other nocturnal insects.

But some bird species appear to be active all day long - go to a seabird colony and there are birds coming back and forward all day long. An observatory warden told me that even the seabirds go quiet during the night. It must be quite a change from the hubbub they make during the day. Imagine standing atop a cliff at night in silence, knowing there are thousands of seabirds below you!

 

[PaulCountyDurham]

I didn't go out today until about 12 due to the weather and needing to sort out a few things. As I walked down a path and then turned into a field around 1pm, I had this thread in mind as I watched birds everywhere basking in the sun and chasing one another around.

 

[kb57]

Morning definitely sees the highest peak in bird activity - when doing regular walks from my home along the same route I'll almost always have a higher species total in the morning.
Ideally you want to be out within an hour of dawn, to hit the peak of bird activity - but as others have said, evening can be rewarding too, at this time of year (in temperate northern hemisphere) a lot of birds which have spent the day silently foraging will return to singing again as dusk approaches. Really if evening after work is the only time you can get out, you should still go - you're guaranteed to see more than if you stayed in and watched TV!
It's also worth mentioning the main exception to the 'early bird' rule, which are raptors - bird of prey are famously late risers, particularly soaring birds which depend on the development of thermal currents.

 

[pppppvvvv]

And if you are out all day, then there are certain habitats / birds where the time of day isn't so important, so maybe seabird colonies on cliffs, and Ducks / wildfowl, or feeding stations, Wader flocks etc, might be a better bet for the quieter afternoon spells.

Plus if you are lucky enough to live near soaring birds, they tend to rise up on thermals later in the morning / early afternoon.

Other than that, you always need to be in two or more places at once in the early morning!

 

[Procreus]

I didn't go out today until about 12 due to the weather and needing to sort out a few things. As I walked down a path and then turned into a field around 1pm, I had this thread in mind as I watched birds everywhere basking in the sun and chasing one another around.

I actually went out yesterday morning and had a really good time. Got back to my house about 1 pm and first thing I heard was a bird out on the tree in my backyard. Took a peak and it was one I had never seen before belting out a wonderful song. I chuckled to myself and thought about your response as I saw what time it was!

 

[Procreus]

Morning definitely sees the highest peak in bird activity - when doing regular walks from my home along the same route I'll almost always have a higher species total in the morning.
Ideally you want to be out within an hour of dawn, to hit the peak of bird activity - but as others have said, evening can be rewarding too, at this time of year (in temperate northern hemisphere) a lot of birds which have spent the day silently foraging will return to singing again as dusk approaches. Really if evening after work is the only time you can get out, you should still go - you're guaranteed to see more than if you stayed in and watched TV!
It's also worth mentioning the main exception to the 'early bird' rule, which are raptors - bird of prey are famously late risers, particularly soaring birds which depend on the development of thermal currents.

Thanks for the advice! I had no idea that raptors were the exception to the early bird rule, and I'll have to keep it in mind because I'm planning a trip to the Snake River Valley to see them!

 

[Procreus]

And if you are out all day, then there are certain habitats / birds where the time of day isn't so important, so maybe seabird colonies on cliffs, and Ducks / wildfowl, or feeding stations, Wader flocks etc, might be a better bet for the quieter afternoon spells.

Plus if you are lucky enough to live near soaring birds, they tend to rise up on thermals later in the morning / early afternoon.

Other than that, you always need to be in two or more places at once in the early morning!

I definitely agree w/ your last statement! I went to a new park yesterday to do some birding and was overwhelmed by how many different places there were to be looking all at once. My head was on a swivel the entire time

 

[ignicapilla]

I'd say that usually sunrise is better due to there being fewer people and it's also colder than sunset which means birds need to eat food to stay warm (but this only applies if it's winter or you live in a colder area).