Christmas Bird Count wraps up in Brookings area

The 2023 Audubon Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Dec. 16.

Ten teams of field observers and seven feeder watchers saw 45 species of birds. That is about average for the Brookings circle. Dark-eyed Juncos and Downy Woodpeckers were the most sighted species being seen by 15 observers. There were 11 species only seen by one observer.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is 124 years old and consists of a number of 15-mile diameter circles in which birds are counted. The Brookings circle was started in 1957 by Nelda Holden. Its center is near the intersection of 466^thAvenue and 216^thStreet and extends through the intersection of 22^ndAvenue and SixthStreet.

The next CBC will likely occur onDec.14, 2024. Please make plans to join us and help make a more accurate count. Look for announcements starting in September. A complete list of the birds seen with the number of observers in parentheses follows:

• American Coot(1)
• American Crow (11)
• American Goldfinch (3)
• American Kestrel (1)
• American Robin (3)
• American Tree Sparrow(6)
• Bald Eagle(7)
• Black-capped Chickadee (12)
• Blue Jay (13)
• Brown Thrasher (1)
• Cackling Goose(3)
• Canada Goose(9)
• Cedar Waxwing (1)
• Common Grackle(3)
• Coopers Hawk (1)
• Dark-eyed Junco (15)
• Downy Woodpecker (15)
• Eastern Screech-Owl (1)
• Eurasian Collared-Dove (9)
• European Starling (3)
• Golden-crowned Kinglet (1)
• Great Horned Owl (3)
• Greater White-fronted Goose(2)
• Hairy Woodpecker(6)
• Horned Lark (2)
• House Finch (7)
• House Sparrow (10)
• Mallard (3)
• Mourning Dove (7)
• Northern Cardinal(9)
• Northern Harrier (1)
• Northern Shrike (3)
• Pine Siskin (1)
• Purple Finch (1)
• Red-bellied Woodpecker(7)
• Red-tailed Hawk (2)
• Red-winged Blackbird(1)
• Ring-necked Pheasant (8)
• Rock Pigeon(7)
• Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
• Short-eared Owl (1)
• Snow Bunting (1)
• Snow Goose (4)
• White-breasted Nuthatch(11)
• Wild Turkey (1)