Birds in Storms

The weathermen - (or to be politically correct, should I say the weather people?) are predicting more heavy rain and storms for this week.
One thing I often wonder when we have such weather is - what do all the birds and animals make of it? After all, you can`t tell them what`s happening. Does the sight of lightning and the sound of thunder frighten them? how do they cope with it? And how do they, especially the birds manage to keep dry because the rain goes through bushes and trees.