Waiting and worries

I was looking at my blogposts from last year and noticed that my first observations of black grouses was from the april 2nd posting. That one was only tracks on the surface of the snow. April 7th I got to see the birds, eventhough they were too far from the hide for good pictures. The reason why I was going thru the dates is that I am planning to head out on sunday to take pictures of black grouses. I am heading out a week earlier than last year. I'm quite worried if the grouses have started mating season or not and will there be anything to photograph on sunday.

Normally I wouldn't be worried at all. It would not be the first or the last time that I head out and come back without any pictures worth mentioning. This time however, the pressure is on in force. A seven-year-old naturephotography enthusiast is coming along with me, and she can hardly wait to see grouses and take pictures of them. I am also trying to figure out how much clothing to bring along for her. Sitting still in the hide with temperatures well below freezing requires quite a bit of clothing to keep things comfy. Skiing to the hide in the middle of the night has me worried also. I hope the trip will not be too tough. It is also hard to estimate what our speed of advance will be for the skiing. If things go as planned, we should arrive at the hide in darkness, but at such a time that we don't have to wait for hours on end for the sun to rise and enough light for photography.

Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes as planned, this is an important trip.

Not my usual preparations

I'm going to take some pictures after work tomorrow. However, this time around it will not be naturepics, but people. The pictures will be published in a calender. I'll be packing my backpack with the shorter end of my optics, some lighting and bits and pieces to go with it. I wonder how badly this will turn out?

Equipment

After a really long break I'm planning a trip to the swamp in the morning. The problem is that I don't really know what to pack with me, since I don't have a clear idea what I'll be shooting. The migrating birds of autumn haven't arrived yet and most of the summer action is long gone. This means that most likely I will not be needing long lenses, which also happen to be rather heavy. On the other hand, if I happen to come by an interesting bird and don't have the right gear, I'll be kicking my own rear end for at least a week. Being out there one never knows what one bumps into. Most likely I will be shooting plants and insects, which means that I will definately pack my 50mm + extension rings. All the rest is now undergoing a "weight vs. propability of needing it" consideration. Tomorrow we'll see how well things worked out.