6 Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Hot birds are not happy birds Well, good people, the heat is upon us. You and I, when it gets too hot, can remove clothing, just like we can add clothing when we get too cool. But for our birds it9s an entirely different story. They can not add or remove anything; they have to find a way to cool down. Sure, they can get in the shade 4 just like we do 4 and they can immerse them- selves in water and allow evaporation to cool them off. But these options are limited. Here9s how we can help. In the photo below, Andy Thomas, a dedicated birder, is showing his method of suppling a fine mist for birds to step into, to envelope themselves with tiny drop- lets of water that will then evaporate and cool them down. Andy has used his household equipment to rig up a mister by clamping a hose with a misting head to his porch railing and misting the shrubs in his backyard. In the photo to the right is another device that Sandy Leaptrott uses. It9s an Aeromist, a portable misting tower. It works slick as snot on a doorknob at providing just the right pressurized water to help cool down our birds. She also gets an