An American bird rarely spotted in Bermuda made it here for the Audubon Society's annual count on New Year's Eve.

Two western kingbirds — making their first appearance for a Christmas bird count — were among the 100 species and 8,682 individual birds recorded by volunteers on December 31.

A globally endangered piping plover — a small shorebird which occasionally winters in Bermuda — was also seen, along with a northern gannet from the North Atlantic coast, a Eurasian wigeon from Europe and a tiny ruby-throated hummingbird from eastern North America. Count organiser Andrew Dobson said of the kingbird: "It's a rare bird here so it's good to get it on a count day itself."

The Christmas bird count, the Island's 35th, was held in conjunction with National Audubon in the US. It involved 20 volunteers — including society patron and Governor Sir Richard Gozney. "The participants counted every bird from dawn to dusk as well as adding any additional species seen during the week," said Mr. Dobson, president of the Audubon Society.

The house sparrow was the most common species, making up 20 percent of the count, and about 50 percent of the birds were starlings, kiskadees or sparrows, all invasive species.

Mr. Dobson reported record numbers of Bermuda petrel, also known as the cahow, and green heron, which he said reflected the increasing breeding success of those species. He said 22 warbler species and 332 individuals were recorded.