As experienced birders know, "birding success" often has no relationship to the weather; exceptions include heavy rain or strong winds which tend to keep the birds in sheltered areas. My visit to Phillips Lake on this beautiful morning offered an excellent example of that point.
Despite the sunny, pleasantly warm, windless conditions, the birds were few and far between; indeed, on my 1.4 mile circuit of the lake, I encountered only 11 species and most of those were represented by 1-3 individuals. The highlight of my visit proved to be a blue grosbeak, singing from the top of a small tree.
Of course, one's enthusiasm for birding (and for the exploration of nature in general) stems from the fact that we cannot predict what we might encounter; numbers, in the end, matter only to competitive-minded individuals. A glorious morning in the great outdoors is enough.