Visitation Patterns on Hot Days

We all know that birds are sensible creatures, and like us don't get out as much in the heat. BirdCam gave me excellent documentary evidence of how visitation patterns look on a particularly hot one (yesterday being--at 97 degrees F--tied for the hottest of 2009.) The camera looked at a normally high traffic corridor formed by two suet baskets, one tube, and one platform feeder. Traffic was heaviest at three times: Before 7 AM (I can see them from the breakfast table, but it was too dark to shoot pictures), 10-11 AM, and 1-2 PM. Hm...so the birds do have a late breakfast and a lunch! Traffic was modest the rest of the morning and dropped sharply after 2 PM. Only five of 56 photos were taken in the late afternoon and early evening. Photo evidence is that the species mix was about the same all day, but Catbirds and Grackles were most prevalent in the late afternoon photography. In fact, the Grackle in the photo above was the one bird out at the very hottest point of the day! BirdCam continues to be an excellent research tool in addition to delivering wonderful pictures of the day's doings.