Bird Bath Observations

I have targeted my pedestal bird bath with the BirdCam on a regular but infrequent basis (39 days, according to my log, or about once a month on average). Much of the reason is that it has not proven to be a regularly productive site. I'm averaging just 16 photos on any day I monitor the bird bath, and only seven species have been photographed on five or more days. By far the thrushes come by the most, with American Robins, Gray Catbirds, and Northern Mockingbirds in the lead. The other species are Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals and House Finches. And temperature is not an issue: the data suggest that traffic is not significantly different in the summer months than in the rest of the year. In fact, my best day photographically was a cold January day in 2008 when I took 108 pictures of 8 distinct species. What changes are needed? For one, I need to pay more attention this coming winter. I did not target the bath very much at all this past winter. But this is a tough place to dependably get good images, especially now that my new ground level bird bath appears to be doing so well with birds who like their water at this altitude. A pedestal bird bath is a place that requires patience.