Kim Eckert just summarized our Colorado week on his webpage, so you can see all the species we saw and get a sense of how awful our weather was but how we did just fine despite conditions. I love birding on my own–not just finding my own birds but getting to savor them without rushing to the next spot. But I also occasionally appreciate going on a good birding tour, leaving all the logistical issues up to the leader, and trusting the leader’s expertise to see as many birds as possible during the time period. It’s much easier to get into a prairie chicken or sage grouse lek as part of a birding group, too. This trip was completely worth it, and brought my species list to 336 species.