I'll be honest with you: summer birding can be frustrating. The trees are draped in thick green curtains, the birds have traded their bold spring songs for quieter chips and whistles, and that warbler you're trying to identify? It's hiding somewhere in a leafy canopy, refusing to cooperate. After the sensory feast of spring migration, summer can feel like the birding doldrums.

And yet, I find myself loving it anyway.

There's something deeply satisfying about summer birding precisely because it asks more of us. In spring, the birds come to you—bright plumage, loud songs, conspicuous displays. Summer birding is different. It's slower, more intimate, and rewards patience in ways that surprise me every year.

The Joy of Slowing Down

When the easy sightings disappear, I find myself noticing things I'd otherwise miss. The way a robin tilts its head, listening for earthworms in the lawn. The subtle differences between a House Finch's flight call and a Purple Finch's. The exact moment a fledgling cardinal realizes it can crack a sunflower seed on its own.

Summer is nesting season, and if you're willing to sit quietly and watch, you'll witness some of the most fascinating bird behaviour of the year. Parent birds shuttle back and forth with beakfuls of insects. Fledglings beg loudly, follow their parents around, and gradually figure out how to be birds. It's messy, noisy, and wonderful.

I also love that summer birding pulls me outside during the golden hours—early morning and late evening—when the heat relents and the light turns soft. There's no better way to start a July day than with a cup of coffee and the dawn chorus, even if that chorus is quieter than it was in May.

Learning to See Differently

Without the crutch of easy identification, summer pushes me to sharpen my skills. I pay more attention to behaviour, habitat, and those brief glimpses of movement in the treetops. I learn to identify birds by their silhouettes, their flight patterns, the way they move through vegetation. A flycatcher sallies out from a branch and returns; a warbler flits restlessly through the leaves; a nuthatch spirals down a trunk headfirst. Each family has its own style.

This is also prime time for learning juvenile plumages—those confusing, streaky, not-quite-adult birds that make identification a puzzle. I've learned more about bird families by studying juveniles than I ever did memorizing field marks in a guide.

Water: The Secret to Summer Birding Success

Here's something I've learned over the years: if you want to bring summer birds into view, add water to your backyard.

During the hottest months, fresh water becomes more valuable to birds than almost anything else. A clean, reliable water source will attract species that might otherwise ignore your feeders entirely. Warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles—birds that rarely visit seed feeders—will come to bathe and drink.

But it's not just about attracting more species. Water is genuinely critical to bird survival in summer. Birds need to drink frequently, especially in hot weather, and they need to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition for flight and insulation. A birdbath, a dripper, a mister, or even a shallow dish on the ground can make a real difference.

A few tips to make your water source irresistible:

• Keep it moving. Birds are attracted to the sound and sparkle of moving water. A simple dripper or solar fountain attachment can transform an ordinary birdbath into a bird magnet.
• Keep it clean. Change the water every day or two, and scrub the basin weekly to prevent algae and mosquito larvae.  You can also add a copper disk to the bird bath, which makes a world of difference for reducing algae and bacterial build-up
• Keep it shallow. Most songbirds prefer water no deeper than two inches. Add a few flat stones if your basin is too deep.
• Place it safely. Position your birdbath near cover so birds can escape predators, but not so close that a cat could ambush them.

Embrace the Season

Summer birding isn't about the numbers or the rarities. It's about deepening your connection with the birds that share your neighbourhood, watching their lives unfold, and appreciating the quieter rhythms of the season.

So grab your binoculars, refresh that birdbath, and head outside. The birds are still there—you just have to look a little harder.

Happy birding,

Paul Oliver Founder, Urban Nature Store