Count results are not completely in, but we had below-average participation with perhaps only 5 observers in the field. Most of you probably are not aware that the Otter Creek Park count is one of the longest-running KY Christmas Counts, first appearing in The Kentucky Warbler in 1942! I am not sure if it has been run EVERY year, but I would imagine that poor weather conditions have caused cancellation a few times. I'm certain of one thing ... that few counts have been conducted on colder days ... at least it seemed that way to Eddie Huber and myself as we shivered in the early morning stillness, urging the sun upward every time we got out of the vehicle. That being said, it was a particularly beautiful day with hoar frost on all the trees and weeds in the morning. The species tally will be in the mid-60s, somewhat below normal, but Eddie and I had two new birds to the count, both somewhat unexpected but for different reasons. The first was a beautiful LeConte's Sparrow in a weedy low area in the company of AT LEAST 65 Savannah Sparrows (a new high count for that species, I feel certain). The second was a seemingly out of place flock of 25 Eurasian Collared-Doves sitting in a tree in the middle of a cornfield a couple of miles outside of Flaherty. Both of these to my knowledge are county records in addition to count-firsts. Other highlights from our day were plenty of Blue Jays and American Robins -- back in force in the forests and fields after their absence last winter. We had also all seven woodpeckers, an Eastern Phoebe (as did Jane and Pat Bell), a Palm Warbler, a couple of American Tree Sparrows, Rusty Blackbirds, and Purple Finches scattered widely in small numbers. Raptors and waterfowl were not much in evidence; I was really surprised that we did not have cranes going over. Part of our evening was spent following thousands of American Robins southwestward past Doe Valley Lake to see if we could locate their roost. Just after sunset we located a cedary ravine where many were dropping in, but others were flying past. I know nothing about American Robin migration, but we couldn't figure out if these birds were just deciding to depart southwestward in the face of the season's coldest weather, or if this spot was a nightly roost. It would seem that plenty of good roosting habitat is present on Otter Creek Park and Fort Knox, and why they would be traveling so far away to roost seemed odd. bpb, Louisville ================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS============== The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign your messages with first & last name, city, & state abbreviation. -------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to: birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx -------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: birdky-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx