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Wednesday 7/30: Hobbs Brook had a few shorebirds, Greater Yellowlegs the most interesting. Shade Street had a family of turkeys and an interesting skipper.

Thursday 7/31: Forest Grove/Flowed Meadow had mostly the usual. Quick check of the res on the way home had a hummingbird, an eagle, and a few gulls.

Friday 8/1: Great Meadows (after an egret stop at Elm Brook) had 5-7 Great Egrets, a rail, still calling Least Bittern, and a Bank Swallow. Saw the Bonaparte’s reports out west and gave the res a run (probably should have started there) but nothing much.

Saturday 8/2: Started at Heard Pond, where the rain had presumably brought the river way up, so no shorebirds. Nothing terribly exciting, a distant swallow might have been a Cliff, a few Bobolink, a Red-shoulder, etc. Gave Water Row a very quick stop at the overlook, nothing worth getting the scope out for. Made it to the Cranberry Bog while the introductions were still being done. Walk itself was very slow, mostly the very common stuff and not much in interesting birds or butterflies either (we’ll see about the syrphids).

Sunday 8/3: BBC Leader’s Appreciation event at Wompatuck. Walk was pretty quiet, Wood Thrush and Purple Martin the highlights. Social time was nice, but got a bit late and hot to stop at Squantum like I had wanted.

Monday 8/4: Nothing at Estabrook that hadn’t been there all summer. Pileated, YT Vireo, etc.

Tuesday 8/5: Night Herons at Cookson, Osprey at the square, very little otherwise.

Wednesday 7/23: BBN was birdy, although nothing terribly exciting. Virginia Rail, couple bluebirds, couple Night Herons.

Thursday 7/24: Nothing of note at Weston Station Pond.

Friday 7/25: Out to Otis. Tried to check Colebrook on the way but the road wasn’t open and nothing obvious on the Connecticut side. Crossbill over later was nice.

Saturday 7/26: Got 3 more Berkshire birds, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Broad-winged Hawk. Unfortunately that only got me to 98 and I was lazy, so all from the porch. Another(?) crossbill, Clamp-tipped Emerald, and Band-winged Meadowhawk too. Also Black Vultures over Great Barrington.

Sunday 7/27: Made the last day of the NE DSA meeting. Weather did not cooperate, list from 3 sites totaled about 8 species but really happy to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in 5 years.

Monday 7/28: Had taken the day in case the DSA went long. Finished getting to 100 in Essex in July at Harold Parker State Forest, getting up to 110 without any effort (or anything of any note). Made a couple stops in North Reading next, getting that list from 26 to 39, so hopefully 50 won’t be too hard later this year. Given the Little Blue report at BBN, I stopped on the way home. No luck but a Hooded Merganser was nice. Gave the duck ponds a quick check in case it had wandered that way without any luck.

Tuesday 7/29: Heron was still present, as was the merganser. Also Gray Hairstreak (I think, rather worn) and Appalachian Brown.

Wednesday 7/16: BBN had a single Least and Solitary, an Osprey, a tanager landing right near me, and a Mocha Emerald or two. Quick check of the duck ponds had no shorebirds.

Thursday 7/17: Dunback had Bobolinks, 250+ Red-wings, and not much else.

Friday 7/18: Egret and not much else at Great Meadows.

Saturday 7/19: Started at McCarthy Park to work on my July Norfolk list. Picked up my 3 easiest targets and a couple others, which got me past 90. Felt like I could have come closer to 100 but that’s for next year. Decided a bit of a stop at the Barber Reservation in Sherborn next. Worked down to the power lines and picked up some nice bugs including a buckeye, a Swamp Darner, and a few tiger beetles. Got a few raptors and a few other things, which got by Sherborn list to 75. Checked the fields on the way back, another Swamp Darner and a Silver-bordered Fritillary were nice.

Sunday 7/20: Started at Winthrop Beach. Semipalmated Plover flew by, otherwise just the regulars. Lewis Lake had Night Herons and not much else. Pico had a few martins at the yacht club. Good number of shorebirds from Lawn Ave, but nothing exciting. Decided the mosquitos were going to be too bad from there and even though it was unlikely ot still be up, the Seaside Sparrow in Squantum was better. Gave it a little over an hour without luck but a bunch of Saltmarsh and a few shorebirds were around.

Monday 7/21: Tried Horn Pond in case the intermittent Yellow-crowned Night Heron was around. No luck and nothing else terribly of note.

Tuesday 7/22: Multiple Least Bitterns calling at Great Meadows, no Striped Saddlebags though.

Wednesday 7/9: Too rainy in the morning, didn’t feel like a pond loop.

Thursday 7/10: Still too rainy.

Friday 7/11: Usual at Weston Station Pond. Did a midafternoon walk to avoid sitting in the data center and didn’t see anything of note.

Saturday 7/12: Inland Boston loop. Had Cliff Swallow immediately at Mill Pond along with a Green Heron. Nothing terribly exciting birdwise at Stony Brook, some interesting insects though. Gave Allendale Woods a loop too, no owls or Pileated. No Night Heron at the high school marsh at Millennium and not much in a quick walk along the river.

Sunday 7/13: Concord Butterfly Count with Maria, Alan, Steve, and Nancy in Acton/Carlisle as usual. Good numbers of satyrs and wood-nymphs, a Gray Hairstreak, a few skippers, but not overly exciting. A turkey flushing at my feet and a Virginia Rail were about it birdwise and the odes were the usual.

Monday 7/14: Did a Kaveski/Meriam’s loop. Solitary overhead and a Green Heron were the extent of the excitement.

Tuesday 7/15: Night Heron at Cookson, Peregrine near the square.

Wednesday 7/2: Delaware Skipper was the most interesting thing at Hanscom.

Thursday 7/3: Lone Tree Hill had an Indigo and a Green Heron but nothing exciting for butterflies. Solitary at the duck ponds.

Friday 7/4: Did a coastal loop even though I figured the Ruff and others were long gone. Winthrop Beach was very quiet, but I did finally find Efferia albibarbis. Nothing much at Belle Isle Cemetery. Couple dowitchers and a first summer Least Tern at Belle Isle itself, few more shorebirds from Lawn Ave. Stopped at Earhart on the way home and finally got a couple Common Terns.

Saturday 7/5: Wanted to be near Torbert Macdonald in case the Whistling-Ducks turned back up, but chased some month birds while I waited for news. Acadian took some time at the Hemlock Pool but eventually got a good show. Also finally have the young Barred Owl call down as a Barred Owl. Couldn’t find the Ruddy at Ell Pond but a Night Heron and a couple others were new there. Fellsmere Pond next, just about got Malden to 50 (and did by adding pigeon and starling while driving off, which was town #50). Gave Station Landing a quick check for ducks, nothing of note.

Sunday 7/6: Ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Started in Estabrook first, no luck with spiketails but Zack did find some nearby after. Walk itself was pretty quiet, not much beyond the common skimmers. Did have a couple Unicorn Clubtails and a few butterflies. Stopped at Healthpoint on the way home and got a (slightly blurry) photo of a Comet Darner and Carolina Saddlebags together.

Monday 7/7: No egret, bittern, or much beyond a weasel at Great Meadows.

Tuesday 7/8: West Meadow was quiet. Few shorebirds at the parkway marsh included3 Solitary and 5 Least.

Wednesday 6/18: Family of Virginia Rails, Pileated, beaver, FOY Blue Dasher, Hooded Merganser at Great Meadows.

Thursday 6/19: Usual at BBN.

Friday 6/20: Nothing particularly noteworthy at Hobbs Brook (and Cranberry Hill) or Shade St. Not that I could hear much over the wind.

Saturday 6/21: Led the BBC walk to Willard Brook and Watatic. Started with a Luna Moth at the bathrooms, then had a few warblers, flyover crossbills, thrushes, etc. Brook itself was quiet but we had Louisiana Waterthrush immediately so didn’t walk far. Watatic had a few more warblers and a bunch of dragonflies including several emeralds, Martha’s Pennant, and Dragonhunter. Quick check of Fitchburg Res on the way home had an eagle and giant snapping turtle.

Sunday 6/22: Waited out the rain, then went up to some conservation land in Tyngsboro that I had picked out as having Cobra Clubtail potential. No luck with those but a few odes, a bunch of Bank Swallows, and a few butterflies.

Monday 6/23: Nothing exciting at Dunback.

Tuesday 6/24: Nothing east of the square in a very quick visit. Black-and-white was a surprise near the square, otherwise the usual.

Wednesday 6/4: Farm Meadow had a single Bobolink and a Mourning Warbler, which I was starting to worry about missing. Looped out to 126 and around without much else.

Thursday 6/5: Pretty much nothing at Cookson. Orchard Oriole along the river.

Friday 6/6: Pileated was about it at Great Meadows.

Saturday 6/7: Foggier than I expected, so took a bit of time getting going. Worked my way towards Rumney, first with a stop at Spy Pond (absolutely nothing on the water). Earhart next, Draw Seven was still closed so Everett side it was. Started by walking to the wetland at Gateway. Killdeer there but not much else as expected. A House Wren was singing, which was a new bird for me in the area. Decided to walk down the path that goes behind and found a large snapping turtle laying eggs in the middle, so I didn’t get too far. Turned around to head back and heard a slightly odd call. Like a night heron but a bit raspier. Looked around and sure enough, a Yellow-crowned was flying by. Good looks but dropped too fast for the camera. I headed down hoping to find it in the trees or edge of the river. No sign by the dam, so I continued to the casino side. Other than a constant flow of cormorants and a couple Black-crowns, there wasn’t much going on. Started back and heard the croak again. This time there were two birds! Got some ok photos and watched them continue into Suffolk airspace.

Off to Rumney from here. This time I had muck boots, so I squished around the edge of the marsh. There were 5 ibis in the far corner, all Glossy. Also a few egrets and a ton of blackbirds but that was about it. Walked back to scan the other side and the Clapper Rail called briefly. Gave it a few minutes but no show, so that’s 3 counties now without seeing one. A few more ibis may have come in, but they were even further out, so I gave up and went to Winthrop Beach. Fog hadn’t cleared there, could barely see the sisters. Ton of plovers near the water and the terns weren’t happy when I walked near the fencing so I gave up pretty quickly. Did finally get FOY Semipalmated Sandpiper and Ruddy Turnstone. Rain started as I was driving and turned much heavier than expected as I was getting home, so timed pretty well.

Sunday 6/8: Minuteman survey was fairly quiet, turkey roosting next to the parking lot, deer intrigued by me, one Veery between points. Decided to run down to Millennium before I crashed and look for flycatchers for my Suffolk year list (which was phoebe, Least, and Yellow-bellied somehow). Willow, Alder, and kingbird all along the river as expected. Another kingbird was hovering in an odd way up above but I continued along the lower level. Debated crossing to Brook Farm for pewee and Great Crested, but a pewee was audible before I got to the bridge. And there was a Least Bittern calling! Gave that a few trying to find a way to view in but eventually gave up and settled for heard only. Debated an alert but decided to wait in case it was known and not wanting attention. Continued to the far end with a close waxwing gathering some plant matter, then went up to the mid-level. 

From way across the soccer field, I thought I was hearing a Bobolink. Sounded more obvious closer, so I went up the path that connects to the playground for a look. Found it pretty quickly and noticed something else in the same spot. A kingbird with a bit of yellow on the belly and a pale head. I panicked for a second but fortunately it moved a little and showed the tail confirming Western. This one got the alert out immediately. Of course, it moved while I was looking at the phone and I wasn’t seeing it. I moved up to the top level where I could look down and eventually it flew again. It turned out to be sitting deep in the weedy stuff, then would flit up and hover off and on before dropping again. If you weren’t on it when it went down, it was really hard to find. It took a good half hour for people to start arriving, with Matt, Reade, and Paul all showing up at once. Of course the bird was hiding, but after jumping at the Bobolink and others, it came back and proceeded to show well for pretty much everyone for the rest of the day and Monday (at least). Eventually made it back to the car and home for a nap.

Monday 6/9: Forest Grove loop had the usual stuff, Orchard Oriole being the most interesting.

Tuesday 6/10: Ton of cormorants, Herring Gulls, Osprey, and herons on the Mystic Lakes.

Wednesday 5/28: Went to Brewster’s Woods and heard the Prothonotary. Also RB Nuthatch finally and most of the usual summer stuff.

Thursday 5/29: Couple Blue-wings was about it at Dunback, loon at the res in a quick check.

Friday 5/30: Decided not to bother fighting traffic towards Mt. Auburn and went to Weston Station Pond. Mostly the usual, couple Prairie Warblers the most exciting. Also FOY Dusted Skipper and Red-spotted Purple.

Saturday 5/31: Waited out the rain then worked my way to Belle Isle. Stilt wasn’t visible when I got there but a Purple Martin flew by and I also got FOY Saltmarsh Sparrow. Eventually the stilt came out, ran around a bit, then took a nap before flying in a bit closer. Decent number of other birds but nothing too exciting. Eventually moved to look for the ibis found yesterday and phalaope found today. Pulled over for a scan at Revere Beach and a Manx Shearwater was close and the only bird in sight. The phalarope site had nothing but Chimney Swifts, so I moved on and found another spot to scan Rumney. A bunch of ibis were fairly close, all looked like Glossy. Could see some further out so doubled back for the scope and found them buried in tall grass. Watched for a bit and couldn’t find anything that looked different. Eventually took a walk down to the other end and had a Red-eyed Vireo singing. Returned again and they were even harder to see, so I gave up.

Sunday 6/1: Since I hadn’t added a month bird in two months (had planned on Grasshopper Sparrow yesterday and last weekend but weather and other plans got in the way), went to Horn Pond for the YC Night Heron. Not around and not much else either. Did a loop, then decided I might as well work on other things and went to the Wilmington dog park to get another town past 50. Since I was at 49 and basically hadn’t birded Wilmington in spring or summer, I got there in roughly 30 seconds and added another six in a short walk. Reading was at 36 and next door, so I went to the Maillet Conservation Area, which turned out to be fairly well landscaped and tiny, so not rushing back. Did get five easy ones. Thought about North Reading or even an Essex county Wood Thrush but decided with the wind, just staying close was better. Went to the Town Forest and did a fairly long walk. Swainson’s Thrush was the only mildly interesting bird but I got 13 needed ones, so two towns past 50 today.  Seven left and four are over 40 (and Holliston is 39). Hopefully knocking another couple off next weekend and then I may take a break until the fall. Then the second half of getting everything to 100 begin, which will probably require a bit more of a targeted approach, with repeated visits over the year to a few at a time instead of going scattershot.

Monday 6/2: Wanted to go to Habitat but traffic was backed up going left, so I went right and then decided Minuteman was easier. Walked the area behind the tavern (turkeys, redstart), then down the Battle Road (Magnolia) to Brooks Village (Field Sparrow). Looks like they’ve done away with the vernal pool trail completely, so ended up backtracking and had the odd singing Blue-winged.

Tuesday 6/3: Habitat for a change, nothing particularly of note. Had time for the duck ponds after, nothing there but the Mill Pond was mostly mud, wish I had known that a couple weeks ago.