Plainfield Christmas Bird Count: Results

Pine Grosbeak seen in Montpelier during the Plainfield CBC

The 52nd annual Christmas Bird Count took place under sunny skies this past Saturday, as 27 observers scoured the count circle for birds. With another mild month leading up to the count, and no snow cover, we were expecting surprises. We weren’t disappointed.

Highlights included 2 new species to the count: Red-bellied Woodpecker and Swamp Sparrow. Both were seen in East Montpelier during the afternoon. The second ever sighting of Golden Eagle occurred in Barre at the corner of Camire Hill Rd and Camp St. The bird was seen flying north, and was only first seen on the Plainfield CBC last year. Another notable sighting was that of a Winter Wren, seen during the public walk at the North Branch Nature Center, the first CBC sighting in 10 years.

Overall, the total species tally of 42 was slightly above our 20-year average of 40. Three additional “count week” birds were seen (Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and Belted Kingfisher). With some reports still coming in, we expect the number of birds seen to grow, but so far 3,484 individuals were observed on a very successful CBC.

Canada Goose	210
Mallard	4
Hooded Merganser	2
Common Merganser	1
Ruffed Grouse	6
Wild Turkey	250
Bald Eagle	1
Golden Eagle	1
Sharp-shinned Hawk	cw
Cooper's Hawk	cw
Northern Goshawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	4
Herring Gull	2
Rock Pigeon	276
Mourning Dove	140
Barred Owl	1
Belted Kingfisher	cw
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	29
Hairy Woodpecker	60
Pileated Woodpecker	10
Northern Shrike	2
Blue Jay	126
American Crow	194
Common Raven	66
Black-capped Chickadee	1196
Tufted Titmouse	14
Red-breasted Nuthatch	61
White-breasted Nuthatch	57
Brown Creeper	7
Winter Wren	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	18
European Starling	186
Bohemian Waxwing	35
American Tree Sparrow	12
Swamp Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	40
Northern Cardinal	16
Brown-headed Cowbird	35
Pine Grosbeak	70
House Finch	2
Common Redpoll	206
American Goldfinch	56
Evening Grosbeak	32
House Sparrow	52