Tunnel Vision Sucks

My last several birding outings have been with a single objective: to spot a photograph a Belted Kingfisher. So when I leave without having spotted nor photographed one, I feel as if the entire outing was a failure. I seem to have forgotten that: Nature doesn't care what bird I want to see I can still enjoy all the other birds I encounter I realized that today when I got in the car. I was disappointed I didn't see one, was kicking myself for getting up early all for nothing, and forgot all of the awesome things I did see today. I didn't stick around my usual spot for too long. It's rained a ton recently, and the forest is full of mosquitos so I went somewhere else. But for the 15-ish miniutes I was there, I spotted 3 Puerto Rican Woodpeckers, which I hadn't been able to spot one for over a month (although I always heard them), a Northern Mockingbird chilling on a tree branch, and eight (eight!!) Monk Parakeets building a nest. I know I didn't miss these things, I'm telling you about…