Every spring, I anxiously await the return of colorful migrating birds like warblers, tanagers, and orioles to upstate New York. Photographically, it’s my favorite time of year here. It’s a poignantly all-too-fleeting time when the leaves aren’t yet open, newly arrived birds are establishing territory and migrants headed farther north are dropping down briefly to rest and refuel. And then suddenly, it’s the end of May, birds have gone quiet as they nest, and the trees in this thickly forested landscape have fully leafed out, their lushness providing dense cover for secretive songbirds.
This brief, intense period means that I plan my spring bird photography very carefully, paying close attention to the phenology of spring, like bird migration patterns, weather conditions and the flowering of trees. I love this time…
