PINEDALE — The 2023 Christmas Bird Count in Pinedale revealed a variety of species, thanks in large part to the lack of snow and relatively mild weather, said organizer Elizabeth Boehm. Birds that typically migrate south from Pinedale for the winter but still spotted in the area during the Dec. 31 count include three great blue herons, two northern harriers, 107 American crows and one American robin.

Boehm said two species, a vesper sparrow and a red-naped sapsucker, were two surprises during the count, having never been documented in Pinedale at this time of year.

Christmas bird counts are held annually across the country and add depth to the Audubon Society’s annual survey of a wide variety of birds and waterfowl that thrive around town. The data are used to increase knowledge of bird species in a given area. Boehm provides the information collected to Cornell University for compilation.
Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., on Sunday, Dec. 31, 24 observers counted 49 different species of birds along designated routes and feeders in Pinedale, logging a combined 42.5 hours of volunteer time and 180.5 miles traveled. They weathered cloudy conditions in the morning with temperatures as low as 19 degrees and a northwest wind of up to 7 miles per hour, with the skies clearing in the afternoon and temps peaking around 37 degrees. Volunteers did not have to contend with much snow on the ground and there was no precipitation that day.

Unsurprisingly, the two most commonly sighted species were house sparrows, with 429 counted, and black-billed magpies, with 227 observed.
The common raven was third most frequently spotted on Dec. 31, with volunteers noting 145 of the birds. A total of 125 black-capped chickadees were counted that day, along with 107 American crows, 67 American tree sparrows, 50 house finches, 41 mallards, 29 Eurasian -collared doves and 28 Barrow’s goldeneye.
Volunteers recorded only a single sighting of each of the following species: American wigeon, belted kingfisher, red-naped sapsucker, northern flicker, American robin and vesper sparrow.
Eight bald eagles and two golden eagles were counted on Dec. 31. Other birds of prey observed that day include one great horned owl, two northern harriers, two northern goshawks, eight red-tailed hawks, one rough-legged hawk and one Cooper’s hawk.
In addition to the Barrow’s goldeneye, belted kingfisher, mallard and great blue heron, several other species of water fowl were observed around Pinedale, including three gadwalls, nine green-winged teals, eight ring-necked ducks, five lesser scaups, five bufflehead, 20 common goldeneye, seven trumpeter swans and three American dippers.
Other notable sightings from the 2023 Christmas Bird Count in Pinedale include eight downy woodpeckers, two hairy woodpeckers, 14 rock pigeons, seven Clark’s nutcrackers, 25 horned larks, 20 mountain chickadees, five red-breasted nuthatches, four brown creepers, 16 Townsend’s solitaries, 21 European starlings, two dark-eyed juncos, two gray-crowned rosy-finches, 16 pine grosbeaks, five pine siskins, four American goldfinches and four ruffed grouse.

Following the Dec. 31 count, a potluck dinner and discussion were held on Jan. 2, at the Sublette County Library’s Lovatt Room in Pinedale, where volunteers swapped stories of their time in the field and favorite sightings.