On January 2nd, local birders held the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count in the Talkeetna and Trapper Creek area. Over a twenty-four hour period, birds were counted at feeders and in the field by three-dozen observers.
The counters saw a total of nineteen species of bird. Black-capped Chickadees were by far the most prevalent, with nearly 500 sightings, mostly at feeders. Other familiar local birds were also sighted, including Pine Grosbeaks, magpies, Gray Jays, woodpeckers, and ravens.
No redpolls were observed in this year’s count. Compiler Rick Ernst says this is only the second time in twenty-four years that the species has not made an appearance on the day of the count. The other oddity in this year’s count was three Common Murres. The murres are seabirds that showed up as far north as Healy around New Year’s Day.
Complete results:
