Weather affects a lot more then just what type of background we have to work with in our photographs. Specifically it’s the temperature that can really make a difference when it comes to the photographs. All walks of life are affected by the temperatures and when it comes to birds their reproductive time table can either be set back or sped up. With the exceptionally cold and long winter we had this year in the rockies, everything seems to be delayed by two weeks. Now this is just coming from my own observations I’ve made over the last 10 years of watching migratory species, nesting birds and spring chicks. This one spot on the Madison is a good example. Having literally gone to the same spot over the last two years on the same weekend I can say the number of birds are less this year.
So what is the whole point of this?
Quite simply, since the time table is never 100% accurate you have to just keep your feet in the mud and look for the activity. Once you find a spot go back to it several times to watch the changes happen. This is also a great way to document life in your area over the course of multiple years.
Images Captured with Nikon D5, 24-70 AF-S on Lexar UDMA Digital Film