Saturday May 14th was migratory bird count day, also known as Big Day. And it was a big day in our house. We updated our checklists from the February Great Backyard Bird Count, since not all of our winter friends stay year round, and we gain new summer friends, plus some temporary passers through. We got out our field guides, and our binoculars, and spent as many hours near the feeder windows and outside as we could – thankfully the weather cooperated beautifully.

What did we see? At least 49 distinct individuals, from 21 species. It was a rousing success!

But then and now, a week and a half later, I find myself dwelling, not on the success of individual counts, not on the variety of species counted, not on the win that is having kids who were as avidly participating on I was. No, instead I’ve been dwelling on the fact we didn’t see any of our orchard orioles or our Baltimore orioles or the rose breasted grosbeaks.

I hadn’t changed anything. We hadn’t put away the oranges that the orioles love, we hadn’t started shooting off fireworks, we hadn’t cut down the trees that provide the habitat. But when you are watching birds, you can only control so much, and you will never see all of the birds on all of the days. They are their own “people”, and will come and go as it fits their lives.

Most days you won’t notice. But some days, like bird count day, you will. And you will likely lament the losses more than you will celebrate the successes. That’s human nature. In fact, in general you will feel losses about twice as much as you will feel gains. But you know what? The fact you couldn’t count the orchard oriole in your bird count list doesn’t actually impact whether the oriole has been there, or will be there in the future.

That’s a lot like investing. On days when we look at what our investment balance is, we have no control over what the number is that day. You can have laid the groundwork, invested in funds appropriate for you, and been investing regularly, but if you look on a day when the whole market is down, you will likely feel bad. And that feeling will linger.

So try to be a better birder. Build your habitat, stock your bird feeders, and spend time outside. Enjoy the fact the birds are here, without having to count them. Leave the counting to just the minimal numbers days you actually have to count.

P.S. Watching flowers is less stressful, there’s no flower count day, and your flower plants don’t appear and disappear. Here’s a picture I took on migratory bird count day, of my not yet quite blooming Lily of the Valley.