A golden-crowned kinglet tries to stay warm in Glen Helen. This species can be identified by a bright yellow strip on top of the head. (Photo by Kathleen Galarza)
New highs for county bird count
- Published: January 20, 2026
The results are in from one of the longest-running, civilian-led scientific initiatives — the annual Christmas Bird Count.
Flocks of keen-eyed hikers, veteran birders and pedestrian ornithologists fanned out across 48 Greene County sites on Saturday, Jan. 3, with a straight-forward mission of logging every bird they saw.
This year, participants spotted a total of 10,493 individual birds from 67 unique species.
That’s the most species participants have found in one year, said local count organizer and Glen Helen Executive Director Nick Boutis.
It was a big year in Greene County for some species — a “veritable red-hot sapsucker winter,” Boutis noted. For the third year in a row, counters spotted a merlin, which is a relatively uncommon falcon for the area. Other novel birds included a herring gull, a red-breasted nuthatch, a fox sparrow and two bald eagles.
Unsurprisingly, the common grackle, European starling, American robin and Canada goose were the most frequently spotted.
This was the 126th year of the bird count, which is organized by the National Audubon Society. Glen Helen began participating in county efforts in 2010, and has been coordinating local efforts since then in collaboration with the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, Greene County Parks and Trails and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The 51 birders who participated this year were spread out from individual backyards with bird feeders to large areas like the Glen, which Boutis explained was divvied up between five search parties.
Boutis said the year’s high count could be explained by several factors:
• A growing number of skilled observers in Greene County;
• A growing quantity of healthy protected areas in Greene County, thus providing adequate habitat for a greater diversity of wildlife;
• Owing to that increase in wildlife, there’s more to see in the natural world, thereby drawing more people to look for birds and other wildlife; and
• From that boon in public interest, so grows the interest in protecting natural habitats, which in turn leads to the growth in the abundance and diversity of birds.
“Lather, rinse, repeat,” Boutis said.
Common grackle — 3,138
Canada goose — 1,329
European starling — 1,247
American robin — 1,185
American crow — 315
White-throated sparrow — 309
Mallard — 289
Mourning dove — 247
Rock pigeon — 237
Northern cardinal — 209
Red-winged blackbird — 150
Carolina chickadee — 144
Dark-eyed junco — 144
White-breasted nuthatch — 122
House sparrow — 117
Blue jay — 114
Red-bellied woodpecker — 112
Carolina wren — 101
House finch — 92
Tufted titmouse — 92
Downy woodpecker — 90
Black vulture — 77
Song sparrow — 73
American goldfinch — 55
American tree sparrow — 46
Golden-crowned kinglet — 45
Eastern bluebird — 38
Northern flicker — 36
Red-shouldered hawk — 25
Yellow-bellied sapsucker — 25
Horned lark — 24
Cedar waxwing — 21
Pileated woodpecker — 19
Red-tailed hawk — 19
Brown creeper — 18
Hairy woodpecker — 18
Swamp sparrow — 17
Eastern towhee — 16
Hermit thrush — 16
American kestrel — 11
Belted kingfisher — 11
Northern mockingbird — 9
Sandhill crane — 9
Brown-headed cowbird — 8
Cooper’s hawk — 8
Ruby-crowned kinglet — 7
Gadwall — 6
Turkey vulture — 6
Great blue heron — 5
White-crowned sparrow — 5
Winter wren — 4
Great Horned owl — 3
Lesser scaup — 3
Sharp-shinned hawk — 3
Yellow-rumped warbler — 3
Bald eagle — 2
Chipping sparrow — 2
Field sparrow — 2
Gray catbird — 2
Northern harrier — 2
Barred owl — 1
Fox sparrow — 1
Herring gull — 1
Merlin — 1
Red-breasted nuthatch — 1
Snow goose — 1
Wilson’s snipe — 1
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