Now that we’re a little further into this new year, we might have a sense of how birdy this season will be. Factors like temperature, weather, and availability of food sources drive avian distribution, but the single most influential factor regarding how many species you might see this month is YOU.

My business trip to Florida to host the Tests and the Rest Winter Conference 2020 was more than just a professional success. January in Florida always delivers on tasty birds. I thought a sighting as range-restricted as Mottled Duck or flamboyant as Roseate Spoonbill would be my best bird of the weekend, but lifers always win, even weird ones like the hulking Gray-headed Swamphens observed at Wakadohatchee Wetlands. The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks pictured above wanted no part of these colorful bruisers. Corey was so bummed about having to lead an Owl Prowl in an area with no owls that he decided there were no good birds this weekend.

How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

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.