By Jan Axelson
Friends of Cherokee Marsh

On Dec. 17 two teams of bird enthusiasts combed the Northside with a goal of finding as many species as possible for the annual Christmas Bird Count. Started by the Audubon Society as an alternative to competitive hunts, the count has been taking place yearly since 1900.

Searching Cherokee Marsh, Lake View Hill and other locations north of Northport Drive were Paul Noeldner, Timothy Baker, Jim Hughes and I. Also joining us for portions of the day were Barb Noeldner and three participants — Ellen, Bob and Jerome — who learned about the count from our Facebook page. Joleen Griffin, Steve Lang, Jeanne Mawbey and Tim Becker shared their bird feeders and sightings with us.

With several inches of new snow and continuing snowfall through the afternoon, many birds seemed to be tucked away out of sight, although there was much activity at the feeders.

Our rarest find was a fox sparrow, a rusty colored bird that normally winters in Illinois and points south, found at Jeanne Mawbey’s feeder. At Cherokee Marsh, we had good looks at a young bald eagle and a large flock of tree sparrows, which breed in Canada and Alaska but migrate to Wisconsin and other northern states for the winter.

We saw four types of woodpecker (downy, hairy, red-bellied and northern flicker) but did not find the red-headed woodpeckers that have wintered at Cherokee Marsh in previous years. Our only wild turkey was an end-of-day sighting at the Becker farm. We ended up with 24 species.

Further south, at Governor’s Island and nearby locations, highlights reported by Aaron Stutz and Cynthia Bridge included northern saw-whet owl, merlin and winter wren. A heated birdbath attracted seven bluebirds and a robin, and Lake Mendota held many tundra swans. At Warner Park, Amanda Navine found 16 species, including three bald eagles.

Each year the count proves that, if you go looking for them, you can find a surprising number of birds that survive and even thrive in the snow and cold.