Your Spring Birding Checklist
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Your Spring Birding Checklist: 7 Things to Do Before Migration Peaks
Posted by Wandering Owl Adventure Co. | Backyard Birding
Mid-April is here, and if you're a backyard birder, this is your Super Bowl. Spring migration is in full swing — warblers, orioles, hummingbirds, tanagers — and the birds moving through your yard right now won't be there for long. A little preparation goes a long way toward making the most of it.
Here's your spring birding checklist. Seven things, none of them complicated.
✔ 1. Clean and Refill Your Feeders
If you haven't already done a proper spring cleaning on your feeders, now is the time. Old seed can harbor mold and bacteria that's genuinely harmful to birds. Take feeders apart, scrub with hot water and white vinegar, rinse thoroughly, and let them dry completely before refilling. While you're at it, check for cracks or ports that won't come clean — sometimes a fresh feeder is the right call.
Fresh black oil sunflower seed attracts the widest variety of backyard birds and is a reliable choice for spring.
✔ 2. Get Your Hummingbird Feeder Up
If you haven't hung your hummingbird feeder yet — do it today. Scout males are already moving north and they return to the same feeders they used last year. Missing that first arrival window means missing them entirely for days or even weeks.
Fresh nectar is 4 parts water to 1 part plain white sugar, boiled and cooled. No red dye, no honey, no substitutes. Change it every 2-3 days in warm weather.
(We covered hummingbird prep in depth in a recent post — [link to hummingbird blog post] — if you want the full guide.)
✔ 3. Clean and Top Off Your Birdbath
Water is one of the most powerful ways to attract birds to your yard — often more effective than a feeder. Spring migrants are tired, thirsty, and looking for a safe place to drink and bathe. A clean birdbath puts out a welcome mat for species that don't visit feeders at all.
Scrub it out with a stiff brush, refill with fresh water, and if you have a small fountain or dripper attachment, use it. Moving water catches light and sound in ways that draw birds in from a surprising distance.
✔ 4. Dust Off Your Binoculars
They've been in the closet since November. Give them a quick wipe with a lens cloth, check that the focus wheel moves smoothly, and put them somewhere you'll actually use them — near the window you look out of most, or by the back door.
The best binoculars are the ones within reach when the Rose-breasted Grosbeak shows up unannounced on a Tuesday morning.
✔ 5. Update and Open eBird
If you're not using eBird yet, spring migration is the best possible time to start. The free app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology lets you log every sighting, tracks your personal bird list, and shows you exactly what other birders are spotting nearby right now.
That last feature alone is worth downloading it for. Knowing that a Blackburnian Warbler was spotted two miles from your house yesterday will have you outside with your binoculars faster than anything else.
✔ 6. Pull Out Your Field Guide
A field guide on a shelf does nothing. Put it on the kitchen table, the windowsill, or wherever you spend time near a window. Spring brings species you might not see the rest of the year, and having the guide within arm's reach is the difference between a mystery bird and a confirmed lifer.
The Sibley Guide to Birds is the gold standard for North America. A regional guide is also worth having if you want something more focused on what's actually in your area.
✔ 7. Find Your Chair
This one sounds too simple to include, but it isn't. The birders who see the most birds are the ones who sit still long enough to let the birds come to them. Find your spot — a chair near a window, a seat on the porch, a corner of the yard — and commit to spending a little time there each morning this spring.
Migration is happening right now, and it won't last long. The birds are worth the stillness.
That's the list. Seven things, most of them taking under ten minutes. Your backyard is about to become very busy — make sure you're ready for it.
At Wandering Owl Adventure Co., we make wearable art for birders who find their greatest adventures in their own backyard. Every order plants a tree. 🌱
