Now that the Great Backyard Bird Count has ended, reports are rolling in from the Rio Grande Valley to Nunavut (thanks, Clare!) I’m wondering about how participation in an extreme or prolonged bird watching event affects interest in further birding. This question isn’t just apropos to North American birders but really to anyone who engages in Big Days, Big Years, Big Sits, and holiday-themed bird counts: do these events slake your thirst or further excite your appetite for birding?

Having locked in a lifer, albeit a drab one, last weekend leaves me satisfied to just admire the birds in my backyard this weekend. The cardinals have been whooping it up as new species stop by the feeder. Corey will be birding in the New York Capital Region while visiting his folks. How about you? What will you be doing this weekend and will you be birding? Share your plans in the comments below.

Whatever your plans this weekend, make time to enjoy SkyWatch Friday. Also be sure to come back Monday to share your best bird of the weekend!


Dawn breaks over Brooklyn as Corey embarks on a “three-hour tour

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.