"Crow."

"Two titmice."

"13 mallard males, 11 females."

This is what often passes for conversation when birders go out for the annual Christmas Bird Count sponsored by the National Audubon Society.

Birdwatchers were out all over Pittsburgh and the North Hills yesterday to contribute to the count, which enlists the sharp eyes of tens of thousands of volunteers around the nation between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 to "better understand how birds and their environment are faring, and what needs to be done to protect them," according to the society's Web site.

The group surveying the woods near Route 8 and Duncan Avenue in Hampton included Duquesne University biology professor and organizer Brady Porter; his neighbor and Hampton school district technology director, Ed McKaveny; Todd Katzner, conservation director at the National Aviary; Erin Estell, assistant director of animal programs at the aviary; and the all-important keeper of the clipboard, Bobbi Diller, a Duquesne University administrative assistant.

Scanning the sycamores, pine trees and underbrush, the watchers relied on sight, sound and even motion to identify the birds. They found that, as with the rest of life, the common outnumbered the unusual on this day.

There were lots of sparrows, crows, cardinals and Canada geese. But the excitement was reserved for more vivid creatures -- four majestic blue herons and a flock of turkeys -- and for the rarer birds, particularly ones that weren't common in this region 40 years ago, but have now crept northward because of the effects of global warming.

Among them are pine siskins (a kind of winter finch), and Carolina chickadees, which look almost like their cousins, the black-capped chickadees, but can be distinguished "by their call, because they do the regular chickadee call, but it's faster," Dr. Katzner said, whistling to demonstrate.

The group was unanimous in agreeing that crows are far and away the smartest birds on the block.

Ms. Estell said she once conducted a demonstration at the aviary where people who wanted to donate to bird conservation could give bills to a crow, and if they donated a $5 bill or larger, the keeper would give them a ticket for a special prize.

"The crow figured out if it only took fives, tens or twenties, it took the trainer longer to dig into her pocket for a ticket, and so she'd stand there and feed him for longer," she said, "and so he stopped taking ones."

By afternoon's end, the Hampton group had tallied 497 birds in 29 species, ranging from ubiquitous crows (93) and house sparrows (53), to the much rarer Eastern screech owl and golden-crowned kinglet (one each). In the meantime, they had a chance to tramp around in bracing weather, eat a meal together, and even indulge in some birdwatcher humor.

"Oh, look!" Dr. Porter exclaimed at one point. "A silver-bellied gas hawk!"

He pointed aloft to an airliner coursing overhead.

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