Wait, is birding about seeing the same couple of species 99% of the time? Always has been
I love red-winged blackbirds, but I was hoping to see something else as well today (not Canada Geese and American Robins). I actually photographed an osprey fishing too, but damn, those birds are fast!
It started out as trying to photograph new species that I didn't find before (gotta catch 'em all).
After a while I accepted some are less common to see, and I shifted to trying to get better photos or different positions of familiar birds to improve my skills.
I think either approach works, whichever makes you happy with the hobby.