Spring 2023 brings prime birding season for SoKY

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. – Spring 2023 is the ideal birdwatching season here in SoKY.

“Spring is the time when all of our breeding birds come back from the winter grounds,” Kentucky Ornithological Society Treasurer Steve Kistler. “There’s a lot of really colorful birds that come through like Baltimore Orioles. Of course, a lot of people know Goldfinches and Cardinals and Blue Jays and Bluebirds. There’s lots of options where a bird-rich state.”

Recent data shows Mammoth Cave is one prime hot spot for Kentucky birders.

MAPS’s Mammoth Cave Natural Resources Specialist Brice Leech said, “The year before last was the record year, and we were catching birds the whole time. It was really, really fun. We got 182 birds caught in the net and in eight, eight days during the breeding season, 182 was the record. And that was fabulous.”

These experts say there are quite a few bird magnets around the region.

“One thing about birding is you want different types of habitats to see different birds” said Kistler, an avid birder for over 60 years. “So, Mammoth Cave has a whole lot of open woods and dense woods as well. Not too much clear land. So, if you go out in the farmland, you’ll see different birds out there. If you were to go to, say, Barren River State Park, that’s an excellent place because it’s got the lakeside. A lot of birds really like the water’s edge.”

Kessler says there are many active Facebook pages filled with local bird watchers just waiting for you to join their community.

“The thing I love about birding is anybody can do it. Everybody’s always happy. It’s a joyful thing to do,” Kistler said.