This is Bird Note.

Summer time.

It's just a few weeks past the solstice,

and the real heat of summer is yet to come.

Some shorebirds are already on their way south,

but most songbirds will be here for a while longer.

What's the best time of day to look for them?

Well, many birds are most active in the morning,

not long after sunrise,

taking advantage of the abundance of insects at that hour.

As summer waxes and temperatures rise,

midday heat sends people inside,

and birds take a siesta too.

And then, both birds and bugs

rev up again in the late afternoon.

In the early morning,

and again near dusk,

just about the time mosquitoes are biting,

that's when birds are busiest.

One exception is gulls.

You'll see them soaring and feeding throughout the day,

because their preferred foods,

...