The day couldn't

have been prettier, the sky clearer, or the temperature better. Those

amenities, however, don't necessarily mean more birds will show up for

their annual census: the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.

Brock Hutchins

of Fayetteville who coordinated the count, Dec. 21, 2002, says the count

was low this year, despite near-perfect weather conditions.

"We had

75 species and 4,767 total birds," Hutchins reports. "These

were the lowest totals for any count we have had."

One possible

reason is that the number of birders participating in the count was low.

Hutchins is hopeful that "we can get more observers in the field

next year and cover more areas in the southern part of the count circle

where there is less development."

Ten people

took to the fields for the recent census, several before dawn, which accounts

for three species of owls reported. Also participating in the tally were

several feeder watchers, who simply count what flies into their backyards

during the day.

The official

Peachtree City circle is 15 miles in diameter, as are all CBC circles

in the Western Hemisphere. The local circle actually centers on Turin,

in Coweta County.

"We were

able to find most of the more common species," said Hutchins. "But

we missed both house and winter wrens, American pipit, and my favorite,

the fox sparrow."

In the Peachtree

City count, 296 chipping sparrows made up the largest single species seen.

Killdeer came in second, with 270.

"We usually

get three or four unusual birds," Hutchins added, "but not this

year, except for two canvasbacks. We haven't seen a canvasback duck since

1987."

The total number

of birds was low, he said, owing to the lack of any large flocks of blackbirds

or other species that often pump up this number.

Totals are

still being tabulated by analysts of the Audubon Society. The Peachtree

City count may be viewed on the Internet at audubon.birdsource.org/CBCOutput/

The National

Audubon website is audubon.org.

Hutchins said

the next Christmas Count will be on a date chosen between Dec. 14, 2003,

through Jan. 5, 2004. He expressed again his appreciation of landowners

who allow counters to enter their property.

Hutchins' e-mail

address is [email protected].