Hello birders, Congratulations to Linda Nuttall, winner of the fourth biweekly participation prize! In the fourth two weeks of the challenge (January 10-23) we are up to 139 registrants. Participants submitted 842 checklists across the province from 35 of the 50 census divisions. Despite us getting into the depths of winter, an impressive 137 species were reported including 30 species of waterfowl, three grebes, eight gulls, eight hawks, seven owls, five thrushes, nine finches, 11 sparrows, and six blackbirds. Some more unusual species reported were Greater White-fronted Goose, King Eider, Harlequin Duck, Wilson's Snipe, Glaucous-winged Gull, Eastern Phoebe, Mountain Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, American Pipit, Dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, and Baltimore Oriole. For total species, Chatham-Kent led the way with 91, followed by Toronto (71), Lambton (61), Niagara (61), Hamilton (56), and Essex (56). For checklists, Toronto (157) was tops, followed by Peterborough (67), Hamilton (52), Middlesex (51), and Muskoka (44). People can explore the results by species and county in a Google Sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-3LvIvg9GFDUJx7NVLo1Y4k97CQ0Kfxm/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118187139860984701170&rtpof=true&sd=true The next prize will be drawn on February 6th. To qualify, you must submit at least 10 eligible checklists in the previous 2 weeks. It's not too late to join and qualify for the grand prize at the end of February, too. The challenge is open to everyone, so register if you haven't done so, then submit your observations. Find out more and register at: ofo.ca/events/winter birding challenge. Remember, you do not need to be an OFO member to participate - just record your bird observations, whenever and wherever you are. Lynne -- Lynne Freeman (she/her/hers) lynnef.to@gmail.com "Be bold, be brave, be amazing" Simon de Pury - Work of Art