A group of enthusiastic birders out and about and at their feeders recorded a record high number of species. Forty-one species were recorded, while in previous counts the average was approximately 30 species. However, the number of individual birds was well below the record because of the relatively low count of bohemian waxwings.
Highlights included two owls (a Northern Hawk Owl and a Great Horned Owl), a Great Blue Heron, a mourning dove and a killdeer. Also a record number of bald eagles were recorded, likely due to the mild weather and open water.
The count specifics were: Ruffed Grouse 11, Spruce Grouse 4, Great Blue Heron 1, Bald Eagle 10, Hawk species 1, Killdeer 1, Great Horned Owl 1, Northern Hawk Owl 1, Mourning Dove 1, Rock Doves 4, Northern Flicker 16, Downy Woodpecker 15, Hairy Woodpecker 9, Pileated Woodpecker 5, Clark’s Nutcracker 1, Stellar’s Jay 4, Black Billed Magpie 9, American Crow 21, Common Raven 265, Golden Crowned Kinglet 4, Black-capped chickadee 180, Mountain Chickadee 21, Boreal chickadees 3, Brown Creeper 2, Red-breasted Nuthatch 15, White breasted Nuthatch 2, Townsend solitaire 1, Robin 1, Starlings 10, Bohemian Waxwing 243, Junco 17, Song Sparrow 5, Pine Grosbeaks 40, Common Redpoll 124, American Goldfinch 10,Cassins’s finch 16, House finch 2, White Winged Crossbill 1, Pine Siskin 7, Evening Grosbeak 12 and House sparrows 40.