This Weather, How much does it effect our Birds? (1 Viewer)

Well its not been great has it in England this summer but maybe that's from a Human Standpoint . The winds are just all over the place, switching directions everyday.
Although fairly dry its not been hot apart from a week about 2 weeks ago. We are now (well almost) into August.
How does this effect the Birds? Will some Migrate sooner, will some native birds struggle (lack of water and moist soil ...Worm eaters).
Raptors, Is this good or bad for them?
Weather Effects the Food chain, insects, fish etc etc.

My Mate of mine is a Pest controller, He says the drier the weather the worse it is for his livlihood , I.E less wasps,cockroaches mosquitos rats etc.Quite often its May and june thats important for him for the rest of the summer.
In 2003 which was a very hot summer he almost went bankrupt as there was no rain but worse it was very hot and thats a disaster for him.
I asked him about this year, Not good he said its been to dry but its ticking over just.
Its pouring down as we spoke and he was over-joyed.
Now that makes me think of the Birds food chain, crops insects etc.
What are your views?

my own pestcontrol

Having the bluetits has made me see a lot of things i wouldn't have necessarily noticed otherwise, one of them being that "my" blackbird family is eating wasps with gusto, dad having taught no.-1-son the art superefficiently is now in the process of teaching no.-2-son as well and mum has also been observed feeding herself in the last couple of days with the little stingers.
Question is whether they are reduced to eating them because slugs and snails and worms are a bit of a premium with the dry weather we've been having up here ( dry, not hot with the exception of THOSE few days a couple of weeks ago ) or they do it anyway but then I should have noticed on at least one occasion before as the waspsnest is by the house in full view from my kitchen and has been there each year but one since we moved here nearly 6 years ago!
Which does lead me to believe that there is a food shortage related to the dry weather and anything within reason related to size and safety will become food. ( Does that mean the blackbirds in your neck of the woods are doing your friend's job for him???)
Got a few other thoughts tucked away on all that but don't want to hog the time and space, the Bluetit.
( P.S.: I'm on an eat-less-diet at the moment anyway, so I'm o.k. for now, thanks for the caring comment.)

Dramatic temperature changes and wind changes are a part of living on the plains of the US. Yesterday's high was 102 and today it is expected to be a high of 81. We had a strong south breeze yesterday but a front moved through from Canada and now it is from the north. (By breeze I mean over 25 MPH)

I don't know how this affects European Birding but these fronts definitely bring the birds migrating over the Central Flyway down to rest in our trees. They are much more active at 81 than 102 so I am more likely to see them. If the storm brought heavy rain, I have to wait until they dry out before the chorus of song begins which is what I am doing this morning. Since these storm fronts sweep in from the west we can get western birds over on the edge of the eastern range which is where I live.

Bugs and other food resources will benefit from the rain since it had been over 100 for two weeks with no rain. The grass had turned brown and the ground started to crack. I expect mosquitoes this morning and with them come the birds. The flies out at the barn haven't been as bad with the drought and heat and so the swallows haven't been at the ponds as much as in they were in June. I do believe that birds eat what is available and when less is available they either move to another location or eat less. My pony and horses have been loosing a little weight which is good--They were fat. All in all this should revive everything again.

An old saying in Oklahoma--If you don't like the weather today just wait until tomorrow.

When it rains I get a lot more birds on the garden feeders. I have had to fill the fatball feeders up every day over the last few days, whereas before the weather turned wet it was every 2 days. The peanuts have been going fairly quick too.
Jackie

The other day i helped recuse a hedgehog who'd parents had died because the ground was too dry for insect. It then raind the next day and hasn't stopped sinc. There must be a fine balance between good and bad weather.