Chip and Anson talk about Cornell Lab of Ornithology's upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count they organize with Audubon. You can participate anywhere by spending at least 15 minutes counting the birds in your backyard February 12-15 and posting them on eBird. Anson does his own little count outside his window. Then they talk Woodpeckers; specifically the Downy woodpecker, Hairy woodpecker, and Pileated woodpecker.

Chip and Anson talk about Short-eared Owls that have been spotted around the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison county hunting at dusk.

Chip and Anson continue the conversation they started last week when Matt Young was on the show about Redpolls. Redpolls are a type of Finch and we typically get two species in Vermont, the Common Redpoll and the Hoary Redpoll.

Chip and Anson invite Matt Young on the show virtually to talk about the Finch Research Network and the Finch Forecast for New England and New York.

Chip and Anson talk about a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a southern species that was spotted during the Christmas Bird Count in Middlesex near the town hall.

Chip and Anson wrap up the year discussing some of the highlights of bird sightings in Vermont. More than 73,000 checklists were submitted to eBird from Vermont this year 292 species were spotted according to the site.

Chip and Anson talk about the Christmas bird counts which are already underway. The counting period started December 14th and Island Pond has already done theirs.

Chip and Anson talk about a Dickcissel sighting. The Dickcissel is a midwestern bird with a unique song that occasionally makes its way over to Vermont, and this time was spotted in Waterbury which is quite rare. The guys also talk about the annual Christmas Bird Count which happens all over the Western Hemisphere.

During the warm weather, Anson got out to walk a bit and spotted a Pine Grosbeak, a less common bird in Vermont of the Finch family. Chip talks a bit about a new book called The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman. You can request a copy at your local bookstore.

Happy Thanksgiving! Chip and Anson talk this festive week about everyone's favorite festive bird, the wild Turkey. Chip and Anson also revisit the finch conversation from a few weeks ago and talk about Red Crossbills Chip has been seeing feasting on white pine.