BROOKINGS – The 22 volunteers who took to the field on Dec. 15 for the 2018 Brookings Christmas Bird Count got to do their counting in relatively mild weather: temperatures ranged from 25 to 43 degrees F. Another dozen volunteers counted birds at feeders, where numbers were down due to the mild weather.

”It was a raptor year, with six species reported,” said veteran counter Nelda Holden, who has been taking part in the annual event since 1957. 

She added, “Several summer residents were found: gray catbird, yellow-bellied sapsucker, robin, and white-crowned sparrow.”

The count produced the following 48 species: great blue heron, cw (count week: defined as a species identified during three days either side of but not on the official count day); 

Canada goose, 1,123; mallard, 215; ring-necked pheasant, 56; wild turkey, 11; bald eagle, 5; northern harrier, 1; sharp-shinned hawk, 1; 

Cooper’s hawk, 1; red-tailed hawk, 11; American kestrel, 3; rock pigeon, 146; mourning dove, 1; Eurasian collared dove, 44; snowy owl, cw; great horned owl, 11; red-bellied woodpecker, 9; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 1; downy woodpecker, 34; hairy woodpecker, 12; northern flicker, 4; northern shrike, 2; blue jay, 86; 

American crow, 73; horned lark, 39; black-capped chickadee, 39; red-breasted nuthatch, 25; white-breasted nuthatch, 15;  brown  creeper, 6; American robin, 6; gray catbird, 1; European starling, 369; cedar waxwing, 78; American tree sparrow, 50; white-crowned sparrow, 1; dark-eyed junco, 53; northern cardinal, 22; red-winged blackbird, 161; purple finch, 28; house finch, 48; red crossbill, 7; common redpoll, 5; pine siskin, 34; American goldfinch, 81; and house sparrow, 438.