I never need to wait for the National Audubon Society to tell me it's time for the Christmas Bird Count, the largest volunteer bird monitoring program in the world.

They are held across Pennsylvania from mid-December until early January each year. At the Hewitt household, the Christmas Bird Count goes from season to season and the report changes daily.

Some days the American goldfinches flood the feeders looking for Niger thistle seed or black oil sunflower seeds. The finches are tiny but hardy and a mere drab stroke of their brilliant colors of summer plumage. They can be counted on to hang on to the feeders from every possible perch and impossible angle.

The friendliest birds are the chickadees that make gray, white and black feathers look outstanding. They will come to a feed station even while you are next to it and they make excellent subjects for any wildlife photographer.

Birds that are colorful in blue and cardinal red are blue jays and cardinals. When they land in the red bud tree, they remind me of living Christmas ornaments. We get an extraordinary number of both species and they are dazzling when mixed together.

Both of these species of birds prefer to feed on the ground and in the areas of evergreens. They will alight in the evergreens before and after picking up a choice seed.

Mourning doves join them frequently and sort of twirl down from the tree tops, much like a landing helicopter or parachutist. In one afternoon, we had nearly 50 landing for refreshments and rest. They become so relaxed that several times we witnessed a dove falling asleep in the gravel driveway for the evening. This is not always such a good idea because of predators. Every now and then I will find a pile of gray feathers attesting to this fact of survival.

Woodpeckers are strong individuals and very independent in their efforts to find insect larvae, as well as the suet cakes we put out for them. They enjoy all types of protein and fats that they can procure on a winter day. Peanut butter, sunflower seeds, suet made from beef fat and commercial bird feeding blends bring them in daily.

We have seen downy, red-bellied, red-headed, hairy and pileated woodpeckers, as well as flickers, nuthatches and tufted titmice at the feeders and woodlot. One woodpecker that is very uncommon in our area but wanders in during the Christmas season is the black-backed three-toed woodpecker.

No, I'm not making up the name, but it is an uncommon bird, with black and white barred sides and a solid black back. The male has a yellow patch on his head and only three toes, two facing frontward and one backwards, while other woodpeckers have four toes. If you see one, you are lucky, indeed, as they prefer the coniferous forests of the north.

I'd be amiss if I didn't report the Christmas concert given to us by a flock of about 40 wild turkeys last week. Our resident neighborhood rooster was in the backyard crowing at daylight when the flock of turkeys descended upon the yard and the roof.

There is something distinctive about a plump turkey plopping down on the roof of your house while you are trying to sleep beneath the same spot. The rooster decided to flex his muscles and claim the yard. A couple of the gobblers decided to take on the challenge and would gobble back after each crow of the rooster.

I feel so lucky listening to a wildlife concert at daybreak, as well as having a tree full of living ornaments for my Christmas morning!

If you would like more information on the bird count, visit pa.audubon.org or call 717-213-6880.