MONTE VISTA — The Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge held its annual Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 17, 2022, in the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado.

Fourteen people (five teams) spent a total of 7 party hours and covered over 220 miles on the count. Weather conditions during the day were brisk with sunny skies and no wind. The day started out at 8 degrees below xero farenheit and rose to a balmy 31°F.

The teams covered most of the 176 square miles of circle. This year’s numbers were average. A total of 48 species were documented and 2,379 individuals, which is low. Sixty-three species is still the record. Best birds were Ferrugious Hawk, Prairie Falcon, and Cassin’s Finch. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was seen during count week.

The information was sent to the National Audubon to be included in the National Christmas Bird Count. Via website (www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/) people can access and see counts from previous years. Audubon also has a new tool called “Where Have All the Birds Gone” — www.audubon.org/conservation/where-have-all-birds-gone.

“Thank you to all of you who helped with this year’s count, see you next year on Dec. 16, 2023. Encourage all backyard feeder watchers to participate next year,” officials stated.

The following is a summary list of species and individual numbers of each that were documented during the 2022 event: