This maybe stating the obvious, but as I sit here looking out the window at a torrential downpour in Brisbane, Australia I was missing the Rainbow Lorikeets that come to the Schefflera tree every day. They won’t go out in this weather and chances are NO tourists are either, eco-travelers or otherwise! Wouldn’t it be a shame if you had flown all the way out here from Europe or the USA to this kind of weather?
X Marks the spot of several of my favourite birding locations.
I wouldn’t recommend people come to Australia for birding anyways this time of year because of the school holidays but some people don’t have any choice and have to travel at this time. Should you expect this kind of weather at this time of year? Let’s consult my favourite weather site.
Yes, unfortunately, this is the rainiest time of year.
Rainy Season
If Brisbane and Southeast Queensland are your only destinations in Australia, the best time to come would be from mid Oct-end of November. I am not only considering the weather but school holidays as well which I like to avoid at all costs.
Let’s consider somewhere else. The south of India has fantastic birding and a wonderful culture as well. So when should you go? Type “Kerala ” into the search box, then when it comes up, click on “when best” as shown by the red arrow.
Kerala
Rainy season in Kerala
Now we have a full-on monsoon season. I did travel to Kerala in September 2011 and at least the mornings were nice with rain developing in the afternoon so I wasn’t rained out completely and still got to see lots of birds including Malabar Parakeets! But next time, I would go sometime in March or April. The “best time to travel” takes into account heat as well as rain. I don’t mind the heat so much but no eco-travelers wants to spend thousands of miles on airfare and money on eco-lodges and end up sitting inside all day!
Once again, here are the resources to check when planning your trip.
School Holidays and Public Holidays – You’ll have to Google both “school holidays countryname” and “public holidays countryname” as each country tends to have their own websites. Then put it all together so your trip avoids bad weather, high season and peak season in your own country when award travel might be scarce.