...Which means we're a third of the way through the November County Challenge!
Let's check in with the Associated Press to see where things stand:
The list below is in rank order as of this evening (based on the traditional scoring system), with the previous two ranks (Nov 1-Nov 3) in parentheses following the current species total.
From this you can see that defending champions in Belknap have inched into the lead over Strafford for the first time this year, with Sullivan now in a solid third. Note also that the top three spots have been pretty consistent, as have the bottom three. and perhaps not surprisingly, both Merrimack and Rockingham have seen their ranks consistently decline. If these patterns keep up, I see some continued movement by Grafton and Hillsborough, with both having the potential to get into the top three as Belknap and Sullivan start running out of birds. I'm also watching for Coos to potentially overtake Merrimack by the next report - you heard it here first. For the time being, however, poor Carroll - historically in the top 4 - seems in a hole they might not be able to dig out of.
So what's behind all these numbers? Exit polling suggests that a shift of birders toward those with full-time jobs continues to hurt Merrimack, while clearly Stafford has had some excellent canvassing in 2024. In contrasts, reports from the field indicate lower than usual turnout in Carroll. Not sure what's going on in Cheshire, but the Monadnock Region is a little isolated from the rest of the state and may just not care about the silly games we play on this side of the western highlands.
I'm STILL trying to figure out a good way to compare my other metrics, but all three place Strafford in the lead, followed by some combination of Belknap, Hillsborough, and Sullivan. In other words, they might not change things that much in the top tier.
For many of us, tomorrow is a holiday, and I for one will be out checking some of the under-birded parts of Merrimack away from the Merrimack Valley in the hopes that I can find some bonus waterbirds after the rain. But if not, there will still be 19 days left in the month. It's not over until after Thanksgiving!
