A brown bird with blotchy breast perched in willows.

In general, the best time of day for birding is early to mid-morning. The second best time is late afternoon/early evening to dusk. Nocturnal birds like owls and nighthawks can often be seen at dusk and right after. Birds are also quite active and interesting to observe during the summer breeding/nesting season. Parents are very active transporting materials to build their nests, mating, and later, nearly non-stop foraging to feed their growing chicks. Later in the season, chicks are often seen in the nests especially in the heron, egret, and cormorant rookeries visible from the distal loop of the Pelican Nature Trail.