Spring is often birders’ favorite time of year, with warming temperatures, blooming flowers, and returning migrants. There is no shortage of wonderful things to see, including colorful birds that have been missing through autumn and winter, but make your spring birding even more fun with these scavenger hunt items.

From children just noticing birds to expert birders with years of experience, there is something for everyone to find and enjoy on this list!

Singing Bird

One of the first signs of spring is the beautiful dawn chorus of singing birds. This is a great season to practice birding by ear, as many bird species sing vigorously as a way to claim territory or as part of their courtship rituals to attract a mate. Look for singing birds perched out in the open where they are most visible and their songs will carry furthest.

Bird Courtship Behavior

Spring is the season when birds find mates, and even species that mate for life use courtship rituals to renew their bonds. Watch for mutual feeding, preening, dances, courtship dives, and other unique behaviors, and you’ll soon see birds pairing off as they begin their nests.

Look even closer and you might witness more aggressive behaviors, such as strong males chasing off the perceived competition in their territory.

A Bird in Breeding Plumage

While many birds wear the same colors year-round, other species change into more colorful, brighter breeding plumage every spring. The American goldfinch male shifts from his camouflage olive color to a bright canary yellow, the roseate spoonbill adds richer pink to his wings, and similar color shifts occur for many birds. Seeing those colors is a sure sign of spring and a definite bright spot in the changing season.

If you’re lucky, you might even see a bird just in the process of molting with a mottled, muddled plumage that is partway between drab winter colors and bright spring garb. What a great sighting!

A Bird Gathering Nesting Material

Birds can be picky about the materials for their nests, and those materials range from grass, twigs, and other plant material to fur, mud, or even colorful bits of string and trash. If you have trouble finding a bird gathering nesting material, make a suet cage nester and you may see your yarn scraps in neighborhood nests throughout spring.

One tip – avoid offering birds any dryer lint, which is one of the worst nesting materials and can be very hazardous to birds.

A Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Warblers are some of the most anticipated spring birds, and the yellow-rumped warbler is often the first to arrive. Because this bird adjusts its diet to include fruit along with the insects all warblers prefer, it can migrate later in the fall and return earlier in the spring than other warblers, making its appearance a sure sign that other spring birds are on the way.

Fun fact – a nickname for these brightly-colored birds is the butter-butt!

The First Spring Flowers

Flowers emerging from bare soil or leftover snow bring welcome color back to your flowerbeds, and those colors can attract birds with the promise of sweet nectar and nutritious insects. Plant early blooming flowers in your yard and you’ll also see some of the earliest returning birds arrive.

Don’t have a big yard? Even a hanging container or a porch pot can be a bright spot of spring and help attract birds to your yard!

First Spring Hummingbird

Hummingbirds are another type of bird that is eagerly anticipated in spring, and their swift flight, iridescent plumage, and diminutive size fascinate birders of all ages. Take steps to attract hummingbirds and you’ll be surprised at how loyal they can be when they return each spring.

Add a nectar feeder to your yard to give hummingbirds a fast food source even before flowers are blooming!

Ducklings

A sweet line of adorable ducklings is a sure sign of spring, and a fun feature of many ponds, lakes, and rivers. It is easy to enjoy these wild babies in spring, but be sure to avoid feeding ducks bread – it does not provide ducklings proper nutrition for healthy growth.

One word of warning – don’t fall for any Easter duckling scams!

What other birdy signs of spring do you watch out for at this time of year?
Share your favorite spring items in the comments so we can all be on the lookout!