Weather

Weather has an uncomfortably large impact on a Big Year.  I thought about it as I penciled myself into a walk in the Great Dismal Swamp tomorrow to look for Rusty Blackbirds.  A little while later I heard the forecast for high winds that erased those plans.  High winds keep birds down, make it hard to hear, and dramatically alter any bird's flight profile.  Since I will have several more chances next month to walk the swamp, I chose to bag it and do a little more prep for the next trip.
Weather plays no bigger role during the year than with pelagic trips.  Here you're talking "Yes or No."  It seems simple enough: if you don't get offshore, you're not going to get those pelagic birds.  I'll be in that boat (so to speak) soon.  On our first complete day in California, next Sunday in fact, we hope to take the cruise to Santa Cruz Island where we will look for the Island Scrub-Jay, a potential lifer for me.  When I made the reservations, the manager said they'd been having weather problems, and I should make my plans accordingly.  Rescheduling is a real pain because it requires re-arranging the remainder of the trip's schedule.  But then as I say, it's all part of the great adventure.
Snow is a significant consequence of weather, and snow can keep you out of places you had hoped to go.  Mostly that's in the high country.  So, if you're pushing the envelope, hoping for an early chance at getting up in elevation, you may have to postpone it, or worse, forget it entirely.  I'm guessing there are at least a few people reading this blog who are just a wee bit weary of snow this year.  Southern California has had some this winter as well.  Total species count remains at 353 as it will until California.