Date: 7/5/26 11:52 am From: Scott Seier via groups.io <spseier...> Subject: [NEBirds] 2026 Humboldt Breeding Bird Survey Results
Nebraska Birders:
I am pleased to share the results of this year's Humboldt breeding bird
survey.
This is my fifth year running the Humboldt BBS route. It starts south of
Humboldt, at the intersection of Highway 8 and 634th Avenue in Richardson
County, and ends west of Auburn, in Nemaha County. It appears that the
route was started in 2018, with data available for both 2018 and 2019. It
also appears that the route was not run in 2020 or 2021, as no data is
available for either year. I started running the route in 2022. This year
I observed 56 species, which is typical for the route, and 695 total
individuals, which is an all-time high.
A few observations from this year's route:
1. In general, there were no real surprises; it was overall a typical
survey outcome, based on my experience with the route.
2. Notable high counts this year include Canada goose (30, from one group
I encountered in Nemaha County), turkey vulture (22), barred owl (2, only
second time observed on the route), Eastern phoebe (6), black-capped
chickadee (6), European starling (31), lark sparrow (5, tied with 2022),
common yellowthroat (11), and rose-breasted grosbeak (4).
3. The only notable low count this year was blue grosbeak (1).
4. Surprising misses this year were Eastern kingbird and Northern
mockingbird.
5. The previously mentioned barred owl was a new species for me
(previously observed by someone else in 2018).
6. I observed signs of breeding for the following species: Eastern phoebe
and American robin.
