We started our count in the community garden area under bright sun and a chilly 24 F. Fortunately it was a dead calm day so the wind-chill factor was negligible. Most of the birds we expected to see were present but there were also unexpected misses. The ubiquity of Robins matched that of last week’s count at Lumberton Leas. Similarly the Red-bellied Woodpecker abundance continued at Medford Leas. We saw only one raptor, and that was only a quick glance as it flew away from us in the woods behind Bridlington. Our best guess was an accipiter probably a Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned Hawk. Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals and House Finches were abundant. We did get three Bluebirds on the path between the woods and Bridlington. Overall we saw 23 species and 599 individuals. This year’s census is low on number of species, but average for the number of individuals.

Participants: Dino Fiabane, Mike Delozier, Robert Koch, Miriam Swartz.  Guest: Carol Bishop

Text and photographs by Robert Koch