On December 29th, I participated in my first Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Armed with my binoculars and camera, I loaded up in my friend’s Subaru. Four of us set off into the morning mists to cruise through a variety of habitat to find as many species as we could. We had no goals- our only expectation was to explore our corner of the circle and hope for species diversity.

At our first pull-off, a huge flock of thrush-sized birds flew overhead. At first, we thought they were European Starlings, but they didn’t seem quite right. Their flight calls were too cheerful to be the omnipresent nuisances. A long Merlin recording determined them to be American Robins. Throughout the morning we sighted one large flock after another. The Robins were taking advantage of the warm, rainy weather to hunt for earthworms.

In a small development, we crept towards a small group of vultures sunning on a tree branch. At first, we thought they were Turkey Vultures. As our position was okay, we snapped some pictures and realized the birds were Black Vultures. While my photograph is poor, I could see their white primaries spread for the sun. Their behavior was a little ironic- at this point in the day, the mists hung heavy over the fields… a great day for a goth bird!

As our morning wore on, we noted plenty of “standard” winter feeder birds. At almost every stop a Carolina Wren or Northern Cardinal would call out. While we didn’t always see them- there were plenty of Paridae. Black-Capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice often flock together in the winter. Tufted Titmice are my favorite feeder bird, and I took on the role of counting them at our stops.

A continual delight was the melody of White-Throated Sparrows. Too small and fast for my camera, they danced around the shrubs of every stop. For such a small bird, their voices are loud and carried wherever they went. At one stop, they were the only birds we could hear over an agitated Northern Cardinal. I hadn’t paid much attention to White-Throated Sparrows before, but now they are on my radar for the future.

During an unrewarding trip up a wooded lane, a medium-sized brown bird popped out on a branch near my window. From the back, and through fogged glasses, it looked like a very fat wren. After wiping my glasses and picking up my camera, the bird turned and revealed itself to be a Hermit Thrush. This was my first one- and I was able to snap a half-decent shot!

As our day waned, we finally traded in the forests for edge habitat. Overgrown, mixed hedgerows rose high over the car as we sidled down a muddy country lane. A few winter feeder birds popped over us, and as we were turning we noticed a flash of blue further away. Hopping out, all four of us trained our binoculars on a flurry of activity on a berry bush- Eastern Bluebirds! On a high, we headed to the last part of our route.

Construction blocked the usual route, so a quick detour got us back on track. We spotted another Red-Tailed Hawk and an American Kestrel surveying roadways for prey. The area we were birding was close to I-99, making it hard to hear birds over the roar of the road. A few more American Robins added to the list, and we closed up shop, heading back to our meeting place to disband.

Our day was five and a half hours of pure birding- starting at 7:15am and ending at 12:45pm. On this trip, I was able to add to my life list and learn new camera tricks. Already I can say this trip was the highlight of my long holiday vacation!