LEWISBURG — Thirty-nine local residents participated in the 2008 Lewisburg Christmas Bird Count held on Dec. 14 as part of a national tradition that is more than 100 years old.

Bald Eagles headed the list of notable birds with eight eagles reported by four birding parties. Some individual eagles may have been spotted by two or more parties, but bird county organizers said there is no denying there has been a dramatic increase of Bald Eagles in Pennsylvania.

More than 150 nesting sites have been discovered in the state, including several here in the Central Susquehanna Valley.

For generations, families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists have headed out on this annual mission, often before dawn. The Christmas Bird Count was intended originally to be an alternative to the “side hunt,” an activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Now it has grown to become the world’s most significant citizen-based conservation effort.

The local count takes place inside a circle that covers portions of Union, Snyder and Northumberland counties. This year, participants recorded 74 species of birds.

A Mute Swan was new to the Lewisburg count. This is a European bird that is often domesticated in America. They do nest in eastern states, where they are often considered a nuisance. The swan found on the Lewisburg count appeared to be wild.

Another notable sighting was the Eastern Phoebe. This is the region’s hardiest flycatcher, the first to arrive in spring and the last to depart in autumn. December is exceptionally late for this insect-eating species, which has been recorded on the local count only once before.

Local birders recorded all-time high counts for Mute Swan, American Wigeon, Common Merganser, Wild Turkey, Bald Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Bluebird. On the other hand, the numbers of Blue Jays, Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos were unusually low. The tally of 34 Tree Sparrows was the lowest in more than 40 years.

This year’s participants included: Warren Abrahamson, Cory Anderson, Steve Anderson, Rob Criswell, Cynthia Davis, Roy Fontaine, Warren Frantz, Geoffrey Goodenow, Ann Grundstrom, Bob Gutheinz, David Hafer, Annick Helbig, Rolf Helbig, Dave Holman, Robert Holman, Ben Hoskins, Bonnie Ingram, Galen Ingram, Rich Kuczawa, Matt Levanowitz, Alice Marquart, Jen Mattive, Wayne McDiffett, Debby Meade, Mike Molesevich, Dick Nickelsen, Evelyn Petery, Bob Reyda, Allen Schweinsberg, Joanne Schweinsberg, Carl Shaffer, Richard Shaffer, Wesley Sigl, Joe Southerton, Logan Stenger, John Tonzetich, Don Ulrich, Tom Yannaccone and Jim Zaiser.

The tally

Canada Goose 878, Mute Swan 1, Wood Duck 5, American Wigeon 2, Black Duck 24, Mallard X Black Duck (hybrid) 1, Mallard 688, Ring-Necked Duck 2, Long-tailed Duck 1, Bufflehead 30, Common Goldeneye 3, Hooded Merganser 6, Common Merganser 134,

Ring-necked Pheasant 1, Ruffed Grouse 3, Wild Turkey 102, Great Blue Heron 13, Black Vulture 2, Bald Eagle 8, Northern Harrier 4, Sharp-shinned Hawk 3, Cooper’s Hawk 10, Red-tailed Hawk 102, Rough-legged Hawk 3, American Kestrel 79, Killdeer 3, Wilson’s Snipe 4, Ring-billed Gull 148, Herring Gull 4,

Rock Pigeon 641, Mourning Dove 395, Barn Owl 1, Screech Owl 13, Great Horned Owl 6, Belted Kingfisher 16, Red-bellied Woodpecker 39, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Downy Woodpecker 79, Hairy Woodpecker 12, Northern Flicker 24, Pileated Woodpecker 18, Eastern Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 79, American Crow 1286, Fish Crow 7, Common Raven 3,

Horned Lark 21, Black-capped Chickadee 136, Tufted Titmouse 202, Red-breasted Nuthatch 6, White-breasted Nuthatch 88, Brown Creeper 11, Carolina Wren 26, Winter Wren 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet 18, Eastern Bluebird 258, Hermit Thrush 2, American Robin 20,