UNITY - The Unity Christmas bird count occurred last Monday with mostly cloudy skies, an inch of old snow, blustery wind, and temperatures warming from 4 degrees at midnight to a gentle rain after dark.

Although all the tallies are not yet final, the preliminary numbers indicate 25 birders reported 48 species.

The species count included no birds new to the list. However, 48 is the highest species count for the Unity Christmas count.

A single mallard was the only waterfowl, as the lakes and ponds were frozen. White-winged and red crossbills are unusual for the Unity CBC and were noted by several observers this year. Red-breasted nuthatches were more numerous than most years. Seven American robins were noted, not unusual despite the cold temperatures with so little snow on the ground.