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Wednesday 2/12: No luck with the warblers again at Mt. Auburn but did have a sharpie and sapsucker along with a Coyote.

Thursday 2/13: Too slushy.

Friday 2/14: 30 minutes at School St had zero birds (did see some larks at Wetherbee driving by. Single merganser at Nine Acre, nothing at the res.

Saturday 2/15: Found no better option than the Swainson’s, so Good Harbor it was. Cold and windy and no bird for about an hour, so I bailed and went to Halibut. Horribly icy and didn’t look like much on the water. Lots of robins were about it on land. Got word that the hawk had returned so drove back. Looked the the waiting crowd had left and everyone there had arrived at the same time. Fortunately it flew through someone’s scope quickly and we followed it until it landed way out. Watched it preen a bit, then went to Jodrey for the usual (no interesting gulls).

Sunday 2/16: Too snowy/rainy/icy.

Monday 2/17: Too windy/icy.

Tuesday 2/18: Too icy.

Wednesday 2/5: Hermit Thrush was about it at Hanscom, but a Fox Sparrow at Gaining Ground on the way back was nice.

Thursday 2/6: Too snowy/wet.

Friday 2/7: Same stuff along the river plus the eagle was right by the footbridge and a Peregrine on Cronin’s.

Saturday 2/8: Did a bit of a coastal loop. Started at Nut Island where the King Eider was almost close. Wollaston didn’t have anything obvious, so on to Squantum Point Park. Nice group of sparrows down the Boston Scientific trail including a Fox and Swamp but little else. Castle Island next, spent 30 minutes staring at a bird on the mound at Logan that was probably a harrier. No shorebirds, no Barrow’s, maybe the northern Eider. On the way back, the Rough-leg hovered for a minute. Decided to make the run up to King’s Beach from there. Lesser Black-back was one of the first birds I got on and an Iceland came in later but no Kamchatka or anything else.

Sunday 2/9: Too snowy

Monday 2/10: Great Meadows parking wasn’t cleared, Meriam’s and Brooks weren’t cleared, so Hartwell it was. Nothing exciting as expected there but good to walk a bit.

Tuesday 2/11: Pintail but no shoveler at the Mystic Lakes. A few hoodies and not much else at the duck ponds.

Wednesday 1/29: Nothing much east of or by Watertown Square.

Thursday 1/30: Nothing much at Falzone or the West Meadow.

Friday 1/31: Riverwalk up to Prospect St was pretty quiet but had a Lesser Scaup and heard the Yellow-rump on the way back.

Saturday 2/1: Lazy

Sunday 2/2: Went to Horn Pond to complete the year for thrasher. Spent 30 minutes not seeing it before I realized it had moved to the gardens, at which point I had it within 5 minutes. Also a few waxwings, not too much else. Went to Earhart after (Draw Seven parking closed) and had nothing of note.

Monday 2/3: BBN had 3 Hoodies but was otherwise quiet.

Tuesday 2/4: Dunback was a skating rink. Bunch of bluebirds and a couple red-wings out along Bacon were nice. At least 2 Yellow-rumps were calling in the woods. On the way back, the White-crowned Sparrow that has been reported a couple times over the winter popped up. With a very bright bill, so likely a Gambel’s!

Wednesday 1/8: Too cold but did a loop of the res while moving my car. About 120 geese, 3 swans, 1 black duck, 1 Mallard, 1 RB Gull, 15 pigeons.

Thursday 1/9: Barely a bird at Cookson. A few ducks and GC Kinglets by the dam.

Friday 1/10: Fresh Pond had 3 Lesser Scaup, 1-2 Common Loon, a kingfisher, a Merlin, and a few other things.

Saturday 1/11: Decided the snow was just strong enough every time I thought about going out and had a lazy day instead.

Sunday 1/12: Started at Jamaica Pond where I found the Cackling Goose fairly quickly but had to wait half an hour for it to wake up and confirm itself. Usual ducks and loon otherwise. Leverett had the usual too. Roslindale Wetlands Urban Wild Park next, Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up at the feeder eventually. Gave Norumbega a run on the way home, all frozen. Out again to School St where there were a bunch of larks and 3 longspurs in close. No geese at Nine Acre and not much at the res.

Monday 1/13: Yellow-rump was still along the riverwalk (first by the ballfield and then by the museum). A few ducks were in, not too much else. Frozen above the dam and no Pine by Moody St.

Tuesday 1/14: Got Norm’s Marsh Wren at St. Anne’s plus a Winter Wren, Coyote, and sharpie on the Lindentree side. Nothing at Nine Acre or around the res.

Wednesday 1/1: Weather wasn’t terribly good. Deer Island in fog and mist had a RB Nuthatch and the usual waterbirds, although the gull roost was being hit by waves and was pretty nonexistent. Big flock of Snow Buntings at Winthrop Beach, nothing much at Revere Beach. Quick check of the Charles and res had more of the usual.

Thursday 1/2: Too windy for much. Found the Snow Goose at Spy Pond. Watched it fly off, drove to the Mystic Lakes, and DJ waved me over to point at a Snow Goose (seems to be the same). Also the pintail, an eagle, the usual ducks but no shoveler.

Friday 1/3: Even before the wind picked up, BBN was pretty quiet, very few sparrows. Did have a flock of Red-wings and a couple ravens. 

Saturday 1/4: Attempted a bit of town listing. Res and Heard first had nothing. Got to the Hudson Community Gardens and noticed it was freezing in the wind, so didn’t last long. White-throat was new (as were pigeon and Red-tail on the drive) but nothing else much. Tried a couple spots along the river but didn’t see anything obvious and didn’t feel like walking. Skipped Maynard for that reason (other than 3 Ring-bills at the pond in the center) and went to School St. Lot of geese, bunch of larks, couldn’t pick a longspur out without scoping, which I wasn’t about to do. Tried Nagog next, only a couple mergansers and a few land birds while walking at the south end. Flint’s had mergansers. Joined the Concord CBC countdown, then had the Lark Sparrow and a harrier on the way out.

Sunday 1/5: Horn Pond. Dug out the RN Grebe (way out) but no Iceland Gull. Thrasher popped up pretty quickly again. Also Hermit Thrush, sapsucker, etc. Silver Lake next. Handful of gulls in close and a couple hundred flying in the distance but they didn’t come in, so I went up to the Tewksbury parking lot where there were a couple hundred, just about all Herring. Also a bunch of Fish Crows.

Monday 1/6: Harrier and Savannah at Kaveski/Meriam’s. Nothing of note at Nine Acre, Flint’s, or Hardy.

Tuesday 1/7: Did a bit of Dunback before it got too windy. RC Kinglet and a single Yellow-rump. Quick check of the res had a handful of ducks.

Wednesday 12/25: Nine Acre had an eagle, raven, and 350 Canada Geese. One tiny bit of open water at the res had the usual ducks.

Thursday 12/26: Started at Draw Seven. RB Mergs, goldeneye, etc but nothing unusual. Lot of gulls on the ice driving off, so stopped at Station Landing. Couldn’t find anything interesting with them, 3 scaup the most exciting. Got in the wrong lane for Rivergreen so went right to Revere Beach. No oystercatchers but 20+ turnstones were nice. Quick stop at Short Beach had nothing and a flyover Snow Bunting was about it at Winthrop Beach. Made it to Rivergreen on the way back but it was very quiet.

Friday 12/27: Couldn’t find the pintail when I arrived at the Mystic Lakes. Walked up to the dam and found a shoveler on the way, plus the Fox Sparrow and cormorants. Got back to the south end and more ducks were flying in and the pintail was with them. Horn Pond next, took 30 minutes but I got the thrasher. Also a coyote and raccoon plus most of the usual waterfowl (although confined to a hole way out in the middle).

Saturday 12/28: Waited out most of the rain and went to Jamaica Pond. Gadwall was #100 for Suffolk in December (and as I just noticed, I never fixed the Semipalmated Sandpiper, so 101). Also 2 loons, a goldeneye, and lots of mergansers. Leverett Pond had a few Wood Ducks and Ring-necks. Drove to Chestnut Hill Res next but it looked frozen, so I just kept going to Norumbega (gulls) and Cambridge Res (less birds in a smaller opening).

Sunday 12/29: Concord CBC in the fog. 3+ Field Sparrows, 2 Savannah, 35 turkeys at Ricci, nothing exciting at Hartwell, sapsucker or 2 at Tanner’s Brook.

Monday 12/30: Midafternoon loop of the res had the same. Hardy was still frozen.

Tuesday 12/31: Started at Wachusett Res. Gadwall off 40 was a county bird, otherwise normal stuff. Gates 36 and 25 had more of the same. Spruce Grove had a calling Yellow-rump. Decided to try for the RH Woodpecker in Groton from there but there were 4 cars taking up what was room for maybe 3, so skipped. Turned the wrong way on 119 for Fitch’s Bridge Rd, so just went to School St (geese and distant larks) and Nine Acre (nothing).

Wednesday 12/18: Pileated, GW Teal, usual sparrows at Kaveski.

Thursday 12/19: Got all three longspurs at School St (‘commute’ #258) plus a Snow Bunting. Nothing exciting at Nine Acre or the res. Afternoon trip to BBN and the West Meadow had both Snow Geese, lots of Canadas but nothing else.

Friday 12/20: Tried for the Western Tanager in Cambridge. Light snow as I arrived soon became fairly heavy and wet. Red-tail roosting right above the spot the bird has been hanging around didn’t help either, gave up after an hour. Did luck into a turkey turning around on my way out, which was long overdue for Cambridge (non Mt. Auburn portions). Had time for a quick stop at Hardy (and there hadn’t been a flake at home) with a bunch of mergansers and not much else.

Saturday 12/21: Did a short walking loop. Kinglet on the way over to Falzone. Chat was very cooperative, also 28 Common Mergansers and a swan flying over. Not much at the West Meadow. No birds on the pond at BBN (bluebird along the edge at least). Geese were all on the golf course, but in a tough spot to view and I didn’t find anything but Canada. Vulture over Trapelo and Lexington was the only thing of note on the way home.

Sunday 12/22: Eventually wandered out to Silver Lake, which had just above zero gulls. None came in and none were visible in flight after half an hour, so I moved on to Martin’s Pond. There were a bunch of ducks and geese along the edge, nothing exciting (although all 4 were North Reading additions). Buzzed the res on the way home without anything obvious.

Monday 12/23: Winter Wren, bunch of Bufflehead by Watertown Square.

Tuesday 12/24: Hardy was frozen and nothing was at Graverson. Afternoon check of Waltham St. and some of Dunback was quiet.

Wednesday 12/11: Too rainy but did a pond/fields loop with the usual.

Thursday 12/12: Very little at BBN.

Friday 12/13: Did some CBC scouting with the river walk to Prospect St. Pretty quiet along up to Elm, where a Yellow-rump was calling (warbler #6 of December). Crossed Moody and went to check on the Pine from a couple weeks ago. Walked up to the tree and immediately had a Pine, but it was a very dull one. The one I was expecting was as bright as Pines get, so clearly a second! Nothing too exciting on the rest of the loop.

Saturday 12/14: Started with some more scouting. Field Station had a pile of juncos and Tree Sparrows but nothing else exciting. Tried east of Watertown Square in a warbler attempt, didn’t find any. Decided to head to School St for open ground birds. Drove through Nine Acre on the way, 4 ravens and no geese. Small crowd at School St had just had a longspur, we eventually pulled 2-3 out of the flock, although at a distance.

Sunday 12/15: CBC. Barred Owl at Dunback, chat again at Falzone (7 years, 10 feet), 4 Hermit Thrush, a Yellow-rump, no Pine Warblers, frozen ponds.

Monday 12/16: Quick check of the res had mergansers, Gadwall, and the usual.

Tuesday 12/17: Usual at Fresh Pond. Made an afternoon walk for the chat but no luck or much beyond the RC Kinglet.