Overall: The total species count this year – 59 species – was just 2 short of the record set in 2020. Count week added an additional 6 species. Weather: Dec 16 was a very pleasant day, with sunshine throughout, a record high temperature for the count (3.8 C), and light to moderate winds. Snow cover was partial, and was rapidly diminishing as the day progressed. Fasterstretches of rivers were open, but most ponds were frozen. Firsts, Highs & Lows: Count day produced 2 first records: 1 Hooded Merganser in the Stittsville area, and a Gray Catbird at the very edge of the circle in Bells Corners. Two more species were found for the first time during count week: 2 Red-breasted Mergansers on the Rideau River, and a Peregrine Falcon in Richmond. The ONRI species list now stands at 83 species, 91 species when including count week. There were also 13 record high counts set this year. Most noteworthy were 6 species that shattered previous records by a wide margin: 194 White-breasted Nuthatches (vs a previous high of just 30) 132 House Finches (vs 59) 67 Common Mergansers (vs 27) 36 American Black Ducks (vs 9) 8 White-throated Sparrows (vs 2) 7 Great Black-backed Gulls (vs 1) For the nuthatches, we expect to see large year-to-year fluctuations in Red-breasted Nuthatches; cyclic fluctuation in White-breasted Nuthatch numbers is typically much more moderate. There were two notable absences of species normally found on the count: Snowy Owl and Rough-legged Hawk. In fact, numbers of diurnal raptors were close to an all-time low at 21 birds (49 last year). Feeder Counts: Feeder counters reported an impressive 27 species of birds, including a Great Horned Owl, Ruffed Grouse, Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, as well as over 20% of the woodpeckers found in the circle on count day. Thank You! Count organizers Nina Stavlund, Tony Beck & Pete Blancher thank Bill Bowman, Derek Dunnett, Tobi Kiesewalter and Erik Pohanka for their leadership in ONRI sectors. Special thanks to Janet Clark and Scott Rowan for providing the compilation meal, and to all those who brought extra food and drinks. A big thank you to all participants in 2023!