Late January is the coldest point of the year, and it leads into the snowiest. Such harsh weather is a two-edged sword for birders.

The number of birds declines as some move south and others succumb to the cold; what birds remain sulkily conserve their energy in sheltered spots; and the process of looking for birds is a chilly one for all parties concerned.

Now that the annual Christmas Bird Count is fading into pleasant memories and a lot of fascinating data, we might be lulled into thinking that we can put citizen science aside until next winter. Nope! Such is not the case, as we have a request for help with a winter waterfowl survey of sites where people feed wild ducks and geese.

We had a beautiful day on Saturday, Jan. 5 for the Vineyard’s forty-eighth consecutive Christmas Bird Count. We beat Nantucket, sort of, but more on that later. It was a day of fair weather with a bit of wind, but no rain or fog to dampen the birds’ or birders’ spirit. We had a great turnout with 69 field participants including six from Nantucket, a couple from Cape Cod and a couple from the Boston area.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 5 is the Vineyard’s Christmas Bird Count. We hope for good weather, although last Saturday, Dec. 29, Nantucket had lousy weather and a good number of birds still were seen on that Island’s count.

Hippie, beatnik, bohemian are all words that have been used to describe someone who is different than the norm. Other definitions of the adjective bohemian are wanderer or vagabond. And that is exactly what is occurring in Massachusetts with a particular bird which was given a perfect name: bohemian waxwing.

We climbed off the plane wearing turtlenecks, fleece jackets and hats and were hit by blue skies, sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. We were in Savannah, Ga., on our way to participate in St. Catherine’s Island’s 21st Christmas Bird Count.

“It’s time again to visit with old friends, make some new ones, and count those beautiful birds in the sky, on the waters and in the trees.” So reads the cover page of the invitation to this annual event.