Rutland County Audubon’s 52nd Winter Solstice Count was held on January 3, 2026. Nine field teams, formed from 26 participants, and five people in three feeder watcher teams, tallied 48 species for National Audubon’s 126th Christmas Bird Count.
Light snow fell throughout the day, but the temperature was not terribly cold and winds were light. A potluck and countdown of the species followed.
Waterfowl numbers were fairly low due to the mostly frozen water. They included Canada Goose, American Black Duck, Mallard and Common Merganser. A Hooded Merganser was seen during Count Week (the three days prior and three days following the count day).
Northwood Park. Photo by Sue Elliott.
Two Hermit Thrushes, our state bird, were seen. This species has occurred in only three of our 52 counts. Two Great Horned Owls were spotted. Three Barred Owls were observed with two perched on power lines. Power lines are a likely place to look for owls in winter as snow cover moves them closer to, and dangerously near, road edges to hunt for prey.
Barred Owl. Photo by Mike Blust.
Cedar Waxwing numbers were low with only 12 reported as were three American Robins, which were reported in large numbers (1,532!) during our 2024 count.
Sparrow species included six Song Sparrows and one out-of-season Chipping Sparrow.
Chipping Sparrow. Photo by Allon Wildgust.
While the number of species was fairly low with 48 (54 in the 2024 count and 50 in the 2023 count), there were a number of highlights. New species highs for the annual count included Red-bellied Woodpecker with 29 seen and Dark-eyed Junco with 436 observed.
While the Otter Creek team (all on foot!) did not find a Wilson’s Snipe as it has in past years, it did come up with a Fox Sparrow, three Rusty Blackbirds and a Merlin.
Species seen: 48 plus one Count Week species
Canada Goose 6
American Black Duck 25
Mallard 172
Common Merganser 6
Hooded Merganser – Count Week
Wild Turkey 91
Cooper’s Hawk 4
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 16
Mourning Dove 208
Rock Pigeon 190
Great Horned Owl 2
Barred Owl 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 29
Downy Woodpecker 60
Hairy Woodpecker 34
Pileated Woodpecker 7
Merlin 2
Blue Jay 261
American Crow 510
Common Raven 24
Black-capped Chickadee 513
Tufted Titmouse 89
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3
Cedar Waxwing 18
Red-breasted Nuthatch 10
White-breasted Nuthatch 70
Brown Creeper 4
Carolina Wren 13
European Starling 1322
Eastern Bluebird 20
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 3
House Sparrow 188
Evening Grosbeak 6
House Finch 35
Purple Finch 19
American Goldfinch 153
Snow Bunting 75
Chipping Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 1
American Tree Sparrow 53
Dark-eyed Junco 436
White-throated Sparrow 12
Song Sparrow 10
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Rusty Blackbird 3
Common Grackle 4
Northern Cardinal 113
Barred Owl. Photo by Sue Elliott.