Wednesday, January 9th was a relatively warm morning. As we left home it was 33 degrees with a promise of sun breaking through the clouds and the temperature reaching 50 degrees. It was a wonderful day for this 26th Annual Bird count. Ro Wilson, Marie Gleason, Ethel Cebra, Jean Jordan, Louise Tompkins, and Miriam Swartz met at the Nature Center at 9 a.m. Just as we were arriving two Carolina Wrens were climbing the fence at the tennis courts and immediately following a Red-tailed Hawk flew overhead. The Farm was a good place to see Goldfinches enjoying the Goldenrod seed heads, Juncos were on the ground under some bushes, Robins and Starlings were high up in the trees and House Finches were investigating the old Purple Martin house.

From the Farm, we drove over to walk the trail behind Bridlington. We did not see Cedar Waxwings there this year, but enjoyed watching a Red-breasted Nuthatch pecking low on a tree trunk for a grub. A Great Blue Heron flew over head and we watched both a Turkey and Black Vultures soaring on the light breeze. Gil Goering, Ellen Wiener and Richard and Janet Sprague observed and counted birds coming to their feeders contributing to our total bird count of twenty six species and 275 birds that morning.