I'm curious, what size are the birds in question? Upstate, we have mostly chickadees and yellow finches, as well as humming birds and some larger species: jays, morning doves, and an occasional cardinal. The vista isn't large enough to observe the movements you're talking about -- at dawn, they just appear in the trees at the periphery of the yard, and fly to the feeder near the house and back all day long, depending on who's outside. This tropism would be interesting.