Hi CT Birders- As we've been reminded by the Townsend's Solitaire at Hammo, we are in rarity season. Last year I organized a very informal "rarity roundup". A rarity roundup is an event where birders make a collective effort to dig up rarities in peak season, often focusing on small, obscure, or completely unknown locations. We are all familiar with vagrant traps like Hammo and Milford Point, but it is painful to think of all the rarities that surely go undetected at locations nobody checks! Make your own guess as to what percentage of rare passerines are found! (waterfowl and gulls surely have a higher percentage due to effort and concentration of individuals). I would encourage you this four-day weekend, Thursday through Sunday, to make an effort to check your patch, a place you rarely visit, or a place you've never tried. Meadows, cemeteries, school fields, and small parks come to mind, in addition to bigger or better-known spots. Another idea is to pick a larger or better-known spot and bird it extra thoroughly. As we've seen with many historical Northeastern rarities, good birds can show up at completely random locations- Pac-slope Flycatcher in Branford comes to mind! I have created a Google spreadsheet for the very casual event. If you're interested, please take a minute to add your name, and places you plan to check and any specific targets. If we put in some significant effort, I'm sure we can turn up a good bird or two this weekend. Some birds to keep in mind rare kingbirds, empids such as Hammond's, Western Tanager, Painted Bunting, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee, Audubon's Warbler (as John Oshlick found!), Bell's Vireo and Ash-throated Flycatcher. Obviously there are many more possibilities! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-PMU5WKLD6yIdIEqIE5ctIsXp8RJG9f-R5odk1Bgrwg/edit?usp=sharing Good luck! Best, Aidan Kiley Fairfield