Burlington Winter Bird Count Highlights
By Larry Clarfeld
The Burlington Winter Bird Count did not disappoint in its 77th year. A record 75 birders fanned out across the count circle on December 18, 2024. Conditions started cool and clear, ending cloudy with increasing wind. The ground was bare; snow had not yet fallen. In total, 81 species were observed. There were many highlights in 2024, and they all centered around the amazing volunteers who return every year to survey our winter birds.
Perhaps the most unexpected bird of the day was a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, a first winter record for the state of Vermont. The bird was spotted by headlamp during an owling expedition at the edge of an isolated pond in Burlington. Waders and waterfowl were generally well-represented with 14 duck species, including Wood Duck, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Black Scoter, and Redhead (which set a new high-count of three).
Gull numbers were relatively low for common species, but a few less-common species were tallied, including an Iceland Gull at Shelburne Bay and our first Bonaparte’s Gull since 2001 found along the Winooski River.
There was a diversity of both diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey this year. Owling conditions were excellent, with very little wind and clear conditions in the early hours. Barred, Great Horned, and Eastern Screech were all observed, but Northern Saw-whet Owl was missed. Both Northern Harrier and Red-shouldered Hawk were tallied, along with a Merlin and three Peregrine Falcons.
The crow roost was elusive this year, but Fish Crow was found, a recent addition to the count that has become quite regular. Another new but reliable species for the count is the Black Vulture, which was first observed in 2019 and has been seen every year since. Two Belted Kingfishers were observed, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was found for only the second time (first since 2017) in two territories, setting a new high count.
From the passerine department, Gray Catbird was found for the first time since 2018. Wrens had a banner year, with new high counts set for Carolina Wren and Marsh Wren. A total of 81 Eastern Bluebirds surpassed the previous total set in 2020, for a new high count. Ichterids put in a strong showing, with Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, and our first Rusty Blackbird since 2015. Rounding out the passerine highlights, we had two species of warblers, including the uncommon Yellow-rumped Warbler and our second-ever record of Orange-crowned Warbler (first since 2018), which had been visiting a feeder during the week leading up to the count.
Irruptive species were almost non-existent except for some Pine Siskins found at Shelburne Farms, making the final species tally that much more impressive. The 2024 WBC will be one to remember, and we’ve documented it in finer detail than ever before thanks to our group eBird “Trip Report”. The report includes over 100 eBird checklists and over a dozen media records highlighting both common and rare species alike. We hope you’ll join us again for the next Burlington WBC. Save the date for Sunday, December 14, 2025, and we hope to see you then.
Photo credit: © er-birds (iNaturalist user) photo licensed under CC-BY