This was the first year dad wasn’t here for the Christmas bird count. My parents sold their Stamford home of 40+ years and moved down south in early December. Realizing we’d never do the count together again just kind of hit me. I helped my dad on the count (if I didn’t otherwise have a gig) and looked forward to it because even birding in crappy weather is better than not birding and it was something consistent in a world where things aren’t always that reliable. I missed the yearly ritual of hanging out to bird with my dad (who some on this email list know). But this year I was happy to participate in the Greenwich Point count with the crack team of Brian O’Toole and Lisa Monachelli. A good day counting became pretty special when Lisa spotted a sparrow with an eye ring and Brian was able to ID it definitively as a Grasshopper Sparrow (which continues at GPP today as far as I know). Having assumed the sparrow that had just flown by was a song sparrow (NO, it wasn’t!) made me reflect on my birding skills a bit and prompted me to share in case others have the same experience. I’m not a novice but I’m far from an expert birder. So the following helped remind me of a few basic things: 1. Look at every bird you see carefully, even if you’re cold, tired, hungry, or not expecting to see something rare. If you assume every bird is a common bird you won’t be ready for the unexpected rarity and will miss it. 2. While prior experience is useful, have an open mind, a clean slate, and continue to be curious. You may not see something rare but you will appreciate the birds you are seeing all the more. (My dad actually taught me this one along with study the field guides). Thanks to Brian, Lisa, and the entire CT birding community (and my father) for being interested, active, and engaged in the important work. Happy birding the rest of this year and into 2025, y’all! Ellynne Rey (Stamford, CT)