Preliminary Humboldt County CBC results (waiting for some final lists etc but based on what I think is the vast majority species list). As it stands we had 38 species today. Which is above the average species (As of 2024) of 32 (I suspect this will be revised up). It was a weird energy day. Lots of species that should have been an easy lock, like American Tree Sparrow, were very deficient. A species that given the context of other finds today I would guarantee is in the circle was not detected, IE the American Robin. We had no Rough-legged Hawk which considering I had two in the circle this Wednesday was a bit frustrating. No blackbird icterids were seen today. It was also a very slow waterfowl day though a pair of Trumpeter Swans were found in a cornfield, but otherwise it was Canada Geese and Mallards. But on the other side of the weird energy equation we had a lot of species that are typically hit or miss...hit... Brown Creeper, Northern Flicker, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk Harris's Sparrow, Meadowlark spp, American Kestrel. We were touched with the tiniest crumb of boreal irruptive magic and found Purple Finch (two open country instances), Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine Siskin. We got some Count circle records this years, one being in the form of a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds, and the other being also a County Record in the form of the previously reported TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE found at Gotch State Park. I would like to thank those that helped today, particularly Kevin Murphy and Russell Rice. And I really have to say, I appreciate it. This is not a very heavily birded county, we don't get lots of attention, and both Dan Gifford and I have done this circle alone a few times since it was started in 2002. A CBC circle constitutes about 177 square miles of road time, and it clear in the data records when I started getting more help from the likes of Kevin and Russell, Tyler Harms and Paul Skrade and several others who have leant their time and gas, and effort to do this little bit of avian frivolity at the solstice over the years. And I just want to say...this may not be the most impressive county in the state...but there are still places to explore and more now with the purchase of the Boone Valley WMA, as well Three Rivers WMA near Thor on the eastern frontier of the county and new private wetlands due to FINALLY closing the last of the drainage wells along Highway 3 east of Gilmore City. We literally have had three county records in the last three weeks (and being underbirded means more chances to be the one to find a county record).
AS TO THE TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE. It was found in Gotch State Park south of Humboldt/Dakota City on Gotch Park Road near the confluence of the E and W Des Moines River. The Solitaire was found on the north side of the park in an area that is largely left over sand quarry pits. The area is off trail hiking, and suffuse with interconnected ponds and marshy areas with steepish, narrow hills covered in various underbrush including junipers. The gates of the park are currently locked due to snow events of the previous month(s). So one must park at the gates (where it is icy), you can walk the main road for a few yards (the main road is as of today icy) there is a small pull in area that has a pile of logs on it, from there you just have to navigate the area. Good news is the park is fairly small, but as stated the ground is fairly uneven and in places quite wet, and while a lot of the ponds and interconnecting marshes/sloughs are partially frozen over, with the increasing warm weather be aware that such conditions are...potentially ephemeral. One in theory could try and duck in from a trail that cuts along the north side of the park, but if I remember correctly that is quite hedgy and under-brushy.
