Submitting on behalf of Compiler, Roger Frost. Margaret Bain. Rice Lake Plains CBC 2024 January 1st came in as a cool cloudy day with no snow cover. The mild temperatures in the weeks before had many bodies of water ice free. Despite what seemed like good conditions, birds were often hard to find. The twenty-five observers and fifteen feeder counters worked hard to find 6,865 birds of fifty species. Two new species were recorded this year because of the open water. These were four Trumpeter Swans and seven Common Mergansers. Nine species were found in record high numbers: Common Goldeneye (9) Bufflehead (14) Bald Eagle (6) Eastern Screech-Owl (17) Dark-eyed Junco (1294) House Finch (15) Red Crossbill (30) American Goldfinch (818) Surprisingly, no species were found in record low numbers. However, several species that we normally find were missed completely. Species like Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Evening Grosbeak were no-shows. Other good sightings included: Great Blue Heron (1) Rough-legged Hawk (1) Barred Owl (1) Northern Shrike (5) Golden Eagle (Count Week) Bohemian Waxwing (Count Week) The owling party of Dave Shirley and William Boyko had another banner year, finding sixteen out of the total of seventeen Screech-Owls. The post count potluck at Tom and Jenny Jackman's was a special treat, where observers could commiserate about the lack of birds. Thanks to all who participated, and especially thanks to Tom and Jenny for hosting the potluck!