The 90th Woodstock Christmas Bird Count was held on December 16th under good conditions (above 0, overcast, no precipitation). This was one of the few times that all water was open and most had not previously frozen. This led to many lingering birds and lots of water birds but reduced bird numbers at feeders. The fruit crop was also good so berry-eating birds were in good numbers. Twenty-five field observers and 5 feeder watchers found a total of 72 species that tied the high count set in 2011. There were three new birds for the count, a Baltimore Oriole found by Chad Cornish, an Eastern Phoebe found by Jerome van Erve, Heather Rennells and Stephan Labonte and 6 Trumpeter Swans found by the same team. Other rarities include: Snow Goose (8th count; found by Richard Skevington), Mute Swan (9th count; found by Adrian Juurlink and independently by Anita Goodman, Marilyn and Barry Merkley and John Harvey), Iceland Gull (9th count; found by Jeff and Richard Skevington), Lesser Black-backed Gull (5th count; found by Jeff and Richard Skevington), Glaucous Gull (7th count; found by Jeff and Richard Skevington), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (count week, found by Marilyn Merkley), Marsh Wren (2nd count; found by Jeff and Alexander Skevington), Carolina Wren (13th count; found by Anita Goodman, Marilyn and Barry Merkley and John Harvey), Common Yellowthroat (4th count; found by Jeff and Alexander Skevington), Fox Sparrow (4th count; found by Jeff and Alexander Skevington) and White-crowned Sparrow (11th count; found by Jeff and Alexander Skevington). High counts include: Bald Eagle (15; previous high 14), Sandhill Crane (71; previous high 65), Herring Gull (3543; previous high 1370), Iceland Gull (9; previous high 2), Lesser Black-backed Gull (9; previous high 2), Eastern Screech-Owl (28; ties high count from 1993), American Crow (118,384; previous high 87,087), Hermit Thrush (4; previous high 2), American Robin (75; previous high 67) and Red-winged Blackbird (29; previous high 24). If anyone wants to see an impressive spectacle, the crow roost is best seen from Roth Park on Pittock Lake and reaches its peak just before dark. If you arrive earlier (3pm), the gull concentration on the lake is the best ever in December and could turn up something mega. Count data will be posted on the Woodstock Field Naturalists Club website ( https://www.woodstockfieldnaturalists.org) on December 20th. Jeff -- Jeff Skevington, he/him Phone: 613-327-2862 E-mail: jhskevington@gmail.com