Brrrrrr! A temperature of 13 degrees greeted the six participants in the December 7 walk around West Rutland Marsh. Fortunately, there was sunshine and zero wind so it became quite pleasant as the morning progressed.
A total of 15 species was tallied. This is four fewer than our December average and two fewer than one year ago. Our highest tally was 25 species in December 2014 and our lowest was 13 in 2003.
Chickadees and American tree sparrows were working the feeders near the boardwalk. One white-throated sparrow was also present there.
The only other sparrow species recorded was dark-eyed junco. No raptors were seen. The highest number of one species was 37 mourning doves.
A brown creeper and a pileated woodpecker were identified by sound.
The next walk is scheduled for Thursday, January 23, at 8 a.m.
The list: