It’s no longer just a serious ticking, twitching and time-consuming obsession: birdwatching is now so popular as a hobby amongst the Gen Z crowd, that research estimates it has increased by over 1000% since 2018.

Here at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, we’re all for it – and not just because we’re wildlife obsessives. Birdwatching is the perfect way to decompress away from screens, take a mindful moment or hour, and visit somewhere new. There are friendly birding communities of people who love to get spotting, from Facebook and Bluesky to traditional local birding groups, where you can meet up or draw inspiration and advice from.

Birdwatching has the additional bonus of being a really great way to brush up on your digital photography and show off to your mates, although trying to photograph a brown, skulking wren amongst the trees might not be quite so relaxing…

Our top tips to get started

You don’t even have to be on a nature reserve

Spotted a red kite soaring overhead, a blackbird bobbing about in a nearby hedge, or muttered your obligatory ‘Good morning sir’ to a magpie picking about on a roundabout? Congratulations, you’re a birdwatcher!

In seriousness, we’re lucky to have birds everywhere – in our cities, in our towns, on the coast and in the countryside. The more you look, the more you’ll recognise your regular locals.

The rise of Merlin

Birdsong is one of the best ways to identify birds, as well as being a really nice way to wake up in the mornings. However, it can take years to learn even the most common calls, so we are huge fans of the Cornell’s popular Merlin bird ID app. 

Merlin is a free app you can download that can hear and identify bird calls with impressive accuracy. It doesn’t always get things right, which is where experience comes in, but any free resource like this that helps more people discover, learn about and enjoy birds is a win in our book! 

Take a mindful moment…

In our busy and largely digital lives, grab any opportunity to avoid the doomscroll and take your mind off day-to-day life by actually noticing the world around us and the creatures we share our home with. Few of us have time to do anything for hours, so start by just taking a moment – look out the window, not at your phone!

…or get competitive!

Let’s be real, birdwatching is basically the ultimate treasure hunt. If you and your friends are keen photographers or looking for a way to get out and about for a few hours, why not make it a competition? Who can take the best bird pic, or who can make the rarest spot? 

Can you name them? 

You might not be able to tell a dunnock from a house sparrow or a blue tit from a great tit just yet, but the bragging rights are worth it.

There’s a wide range of books, apps and websites to help you identify the birds you see. The best books have different views of a bird, its relative size, habitat information, and if it lives in or only visits the UK – useful when you’re trying to work out if what you’ve spotted is a rarity or just a blackbird in disguise. Collecting names and a tick list isn’t mandatory, but there’s nothing wrong with a record; whether it’s all the birds you’ve ever seen, a yearly list or a garden list. 

Visit a nature reserve 

The point of nature reserves is to create space for nature to thrive, so they’re particularly good places to look for birds. Wetlands are perfect for ducks, geese, waders, and the weird and wonderful; woodlands are home to owls, jays, and tiny birds like treecreepers and tits; heathlands are for finches and the graceful swoop of raptors overhead. 

We always welcome new visitors to our nature reserves, and we’ve even classed our reserves as wild, wilder and wildest depending on how far you want to be away from creature comforts. If you need a gentle introduction with a loo, brew and an inside view, come and see us at Potteric Carr before you become a wildest visitor to Southerscales in the Dales. 

Our reserves are for everyone and you’ll find a friendly community of regular visitors, birdwatchers and photographers at reserves like North Cave Wetlands, Filey Brigg and Adel Dam, delighted to share knowledge and answer questions.     

All the gear and no idea

While you can birdwatch everywhere (and we mean everywhere!) you’re going to see more if you go outdoors. Dress for the weather with suncream, or warm layers and a hat. Prepare to walk a little distance – it’s a great excuse to bring hot chocolate in a flask or some really sweet snacks with you. 

You don’t have to have binoculars to birdwatch but they do make spotting things easier! If you’re ready to go the extra mile, it’s good to try a few different models and sizes before you buy – and you can get some really decent second-hand equipment. Our team at Potteric Carr will be able to advise, and have some different sizes you can try out on site. 

Sshhhh… they’re tweeting!

Birdwatching is a quiet, peaceful activity. For one, you don’t want to scare away what you’re searching for – and you won’t be able to hear anything if you’re crashing through the undergrowth or talking too loud. 

We never condone trespassing on people’s land, removing fencing, or deliberately frightening or disturbing birds to get a better look. If you’re entering or walking up to a closed hide, do so quietly – you never know what people are watching on the other side of a door. 

That being said, a quiet, “I think I might have seen a spoonbill/waxwing/bittern over there,” is a surefire way to make new friends! We encourage seasoned birders to support people new to birdwatching too. There is never a stupid question - we are all, always, learning.  

Enjoy it

Congratulations, you’re a bird watcher! It’s a lifelong love affair of learning and watching our beautiful feathered friends. Some days you’ll be amazed; you finally saw a puffin or a kingfisher, or heard a bittern booming. Other days it might just be pigeons and blackbirds, but there’s always joy in the unexpected. Whatever you spot, enjoy it!