Mute swans were one of Arnfield's top sightings.
The holidays are over, the decorations stashed. Only one thing left鈥攖he daunting task of sifting through Christmas cards to see who remembered, who forgot, and what addresses need updating. This time, infuse some fun into the chore: Try birding while you work. At the end of each year, Columbus 探花精选 member John Arnfield (of Church Stretton, Shropshire, United Kingdom) compiles a list of the avian species appearing on Christmas cards sent to him. His 2011 sightings cover both 鈥渉ard鈥 cards and e-cards. Take a gander (pun intended; sorry) at what he spotted, below (are you surprised by which species came in #1? I鈥檓 not). And don't forget to add your birds/numbers in the Comments section!
BIRD-----------Number
Northern cardinal: 12
Mute swan: 7
Emperor penguin: 6
Canada goose: 6
(European) robin: 6
(Common) blackbird: 4
Jungle fowl (domesticated): 3
Black-capped chickadee: 3
Hen harrier: 2
(European) turtle dove: 2
(European) blue tit: 2
Red-legged partridge: 1
(European) herring gull: 1
Dove (generic): 1
(Bohemian) waxwing: 1
Redwing: 1
Crested tit: 1
Blue jay: 1
House finch: 1
American goldfinch: 1
(Eurasian) siskin: 1