After a heck of a winter, it’s summer at last. Now’s the time to patch your roof, plant your garden (if you already have, you’re way ahead of me) and explore Humboldt’s diverse landscapes. Throughout the county, hidden gems await those of all abilities, whether at the end of an arduous hike or just up […]
birding
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Drag, Birdmobiles and Sketchy Seafood
This week we’re looking at why family-friendly drag show performers take the stage despite the intensifying backlash. We also talked to law enforcement about the supposed risk to kids — turns out we’ve got high rates of abuse in Humboldt but it doesn’t appear to be coming from drag shows. Later, a birder confesses to […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Godwit Days Kicks Off This Week
It’s April, and in these wildlife friendly parts, that means it’s time to go birdin’. The annual Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival takes flight April 13-16 in spots around the county with many of the festival activities happening at the Arcata Community Center. This year’s in-person festival offers multiple field trips each day, keynote […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Godwit Days
When you live in a place as awash in natural wonders as Humboldt County, it can be easy to take it for granted. Towering redwoods with trunks as thick as Volkswagens? Just look out the window. Miles of rocky coastal beaches with endless tidepools to explore? Been there, done that. But how about backroads that […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Burrowing Owl Pops Up
Until a year ago, I had never seen a burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia). I wasn’t even aware we had this species locally — I thought they only lived in the desert. But that all changed in February of 2022 out in the dunes next to the Pacific Ocean. Out walking on a sunny morning, my […]
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Fires, Boarding School Legacy, Cartoon Controversy and More
This week we’re recapping the cover story on the year in wildfires and a story about Harvard University holding hair samples from Native children who attended boarding schools. We’re talking about reader responses and our editorial decision making over a cartoon some felt was anti-Semitic. We’ve also got a birding hot spot in an unlikely […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Walmart Picnic Table Effect
A long-held belief in the world of birding is that when a rare bird is reported at a specific location, birders who flock to the spot to see it find other rare birds, attracting even more birders, who then find — well, you get the idea. This phenomenon, known as the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Chase
To “chase” in birding is to drop what you’re doing and look for a bird that’s been reported, usually a rarity of some sort. The majority of chases, at least for me, end in abject failure — birds have wings, after all, and hardly ever sit around waiting for throngs of admirers to show up […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Earbirding Humboldt
Summer in Humboldt is the perfect time for family vacations, trips to the beach or river, exploring the farmers markets and seeing the sights from atop a Ferris wheel. But for bird enthusiasts, it’s slim pickings. The spring migrants have flown the coop and most of the local residents are keeping a low profile while […]
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Opium History, a Softball Swan Song, Birding Dads and Popping Up
This week’s cover looks back at Humboldt’s history, specifically how opium addiction gripped so many in the 1880s and how it parallels our current opiate crisis. We’ve also got the story of Hailey Dolcini, a Ferndale-raised softball player whose grit and pitching arm led her to a historic performance in the Women’s College World Series. […]
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Upcoming Elections, Arcata’s Mayoral Morass and More
This week the Journal is breaking down county supervisor races in the 4th and 5th districts, as well as for the clerk-recorder-registrar of voters. We’ve got an online update on the harassment allegations against Arcata Mayor and Councilmember Brett Watson that were upheld in an investigation report. Despite community members and fellow members of the council […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Spring Migration
For Humboldt birders, May is a magical month. Spring migration is in full swing, and throughout the county the skies, marshes, forests, bay and grasslands are filled with birds. Some are here for a quick stopover on their journeys, to rest and replenish; others are back home on the North Coast to build their nests […]