My Triad backyard bird + weather tracker project found insights on what affects birdsongs
Following up on my backyard bird-call + weather tracker (previous post here). I've been running the numbers all summer and a few things stood out that don't need any bird-nerd background to appreciate:
- Birds go quiet when it's hot. Once you account for time of day, hotter-than-normal temps were tied to noticeably less birdsong — the strongest weather effect I found, by far.
- "Nice, clear weather" didn't mean more birdsong — if anything, slightly less. Higher barometric pressure (the kind that usually means calm, sunny days) was tied to quieter mornings, not louder ones. Not what I expected going in.
- Humidity and rain barely moved the needle. Of everything I tracked, those had the weakest, shakiest effect — temperature and pressure told me a lot more about when birds go quiet.
Bonus: not every species keeps the same hours — American Robins are already loud at 5am, but Fish Crows don't really get going until 2pm.
Live charts (including which species peak when) at winstonsalembirds.com.
u/Cobblerunionfan — 3 days ago