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Overall birds: 300 even, 13 new (all in CO)

Massachusetts: 252 (5 new)

Middlesex County: 198 (2 new)

Waltham: 157 (new high, 7 new)

Yard: 57 (2 new: Common Redpoll, Wild Turkey)

Western Greenway: 114 (4 new: Rusty Blackbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Nighthawk, Clay-colored Sparrow)

Charles: 97 (9 new: Great Horned Owl, Greater White-fronted Goose, Rusty BlackbirdVirginia Rail, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swamp Sparrow, Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Common Raven)

Butterflies: 59+ several from Colorado, 47 MA, 43 Middlesex, 38 Waltham (10+ ,0, 0, 0 new respectively,)

Two patches this year: the Western Greenway and Charles River (Watertown Square to Norumbega). Goal is the 5 year average plus 5, so 120 for the Greenway and 73 for the Charles. Bold is a patch tick, italics is otherwise notable.

Greenway (95% as of 12/6)

1. Mute Swan (3/22)
2. Canada Goose (1/28)
3. Wood Duck (2/17)
4. American Black Duck (2/17)
5. Mallard (1/3)
6. Northern Pintail (1/5)
7. Hooded Merganser (1/3, breeding 7/21?)
8. Wild Turkey (4/7)
9. Double-crested Cormorant (3/19)
10. Great Blue Heron (4/17)
11. Green Heron (5/5)
12. Turkey Vulture (2/17)
13. Osprey (4/26)
14. Sharp-shinned Hawk (4/22)
15. Cooper’s Hawk (1/8)
16. Red-tailed Hawk (1/8)
17. American Kestrel (4/27)
18. Peregrine Falcon (1/25)
19. Killdeer (3/19)
20. Spotted Sandpiper (7/21)
21. Solitary Sandpiper (5/25)
22. American Woodcock (3/20)
23. Ring-billed Gull (1/3)
24. Herring Gull (4/10)
25. Rock Pigeon (3/1)
26. Mourning Dove (1/5)
27. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (5/13)
28. Black-billed Cuckoo (5/27)
29. Great Horned Owl (1/8)
30. Common Nighthawk (9/4)
31. Chimney Swift (5/5)
32. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (6/2)
33. Belted Kingfisher (2/22)
34. Red-bellied Woodpecker (1/7)
35. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (4/17)
36. Downy Woodpecker (1/3)
37. Hairy Woodpecker (1/8)
38. Northern Flicker (1/8)
39. Eastern Wood-Pewee (5/24)
40. Willow Flycatcher (5/28)
41. Eastern Phoebe (4/7)
42. Great Crested Flycatcher (5/3)
43. Eastern Kingbird (4/27)
44. Blue-headed Vireo (10/6)
45. Warbling Vireo (5/16)
46. Red-eyed Vireo (5/12)
47. Blue Jay (1/5)
48. American Crow (1/4)
49. Common Raven (12/6)
50. Tree Swallow (4/17)
51. Barn Swallow (4/22)
52. Black-capped Chickadee (1/3)
53. Tufted Titmouse (1/3)
54. Red-breasted Nuthatch (3/29)
55. White-breasted Nuthatch (1/4)
56. Brown Creeper (11/19)
57. Carolina Wren (1/8)
58. House Wren (4/22)
59. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (4/22)
60. Golden-crowned Kinglet (4/27)
61. Eastern Bluebird (3/17)
62. Hermit Thrush (3/29)
63. Wood Thrush (5/3)
64. American Robin (1/5)
65. Northern Mockingbird (1/8)
66. Brown Thrasher (4/17)
67. Gray Catbird (5/3)
68. European Starling (1/3)
69. Cedar Waxwing (5/23)
70. Blue-winged Warbler (5/24)
71. Nashville Warbler (5/13)
72. Northern Parula (5/3)
73. Yellow Warbler (5/3)
74. Chestnut-sided Warbler (5/3)
75. Magnolia Warbler (5/25)
76. Black-throated Blue Warbler (5/12)
77. Black-throated Green Warbler (4/27)
78. Yellow-rumped Warbler (4/19)
79. Pine Warbler (4/6)
80. Palm Warbler (4/19)
81. Blackpoll Warbler (5/25)
82. American Redstart (8/18)
83. Black-and-white Warbler (4/27)
84. Ovenbird (5/3)
85. Northern Waterthrush (7/21)
86. Louisiana Waterthrush (7/26)
87. Common Yellowthroat (5/3)
88. Eastern Towhee (5/3)
89. American Tree Sparrow (1/3)
90. Chipping Sparrow (4/14)
91. Clay-colored Sparrow (9/26)
92. Field Sparrow (4/10)
93. Savannah Sparrow (4/17)
94. Fox Sparrow (3/19)
95. Song Sparrow (1/8)
96. Lincoln’s Sparrow (9/18)
97. Swamp Sparrow (4/17)
98. White-throated Sparrow (1/3)
99. White-crowned Sparrow (10/16)
100. Dark-eyed Junco (1/3)
101. Scarlet Tanager (5/9)
102. Northern Cardinal (1/3)
103. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (4/27)
104. Indigo Bunting (5/13)
105. Dickcissel (10/2)
106. Orchard Oriole (5/25)
107. Baltimore Oriole (4/27)
108. Red-winged Blackbird (3/2)
109. Brown-headed Cowbird (3/19)
110. Rusty Blackbird (4/7)
111. Common Grackle (2/24)
112. House Finch (1/5)
113. American Goldfinch (1/3)
114. House Sparrow (1/3)

Butterflies (31): Silver-spotted Skipper (6/6), Juvenal’s Duskywing (4/27), Least Skipper (8/2), European Skipper (6/20), Little Glassywing (6/28), Peck’s Skipper (8/6), Hobomok Skipper (5/28), Dun Skipper (7/27), Black Swallowtail (5/28), Spicebush Swallowtail (8/19), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (5/13), Clouded Sulphur (5/2), Cabbage White (4/17), American Copper (5/28), Banded Hairstreak (6/20), Cherry Gall Azure (5/24), Summer Azure (8/12), Eastern Tailed-Blue (9/4), Monarch (7/19), Red-spotted Purple (8/18), Viceroy (5/28), American Lady (5/13), Painted Lady (5/28), Red Admiral (5/28), Mourning Cloak (4/10), Question Mark (5/25), Eastern Comma (4/10), Pearl Crescent (5/28), Appalachian Brown (7/19), Common Ringlet (5/28), Little Wood Satyr (5/28), Common Wood-Nymph (7/19)

Wednesday 12/21: Hardy Pond had very little. Cambridge Res had a ton of Hoodies along with Wigeon, Ruddy, Black Duck, Mallard, and Common Mergansers. Squirrel came back for the first time in a few weeks.

Thursday 12/22: BBN had a flicker, 3 red-wings (should have walked that part Sunday I guess) and a ton of robins and juncos.

Friday 12/23: Lyman Pond: 75 geese, 5 swans, 12 mallard.

Saturday 12/24: Looked for the Snowy Owl in Everett without any luck.

Wednesday 12/14: Moody St had lots of Ring-bills, geese, and mallards. Four Hoodies were about it for anything of interest.

Thursday 12/15: Hardy Pond. Wind was away from the pond, so able to scope fairly comfortably. Among the 34 Ruddies and 9 Common Mergansers was an apparent Red-breasted Merganser (would have liked a bit closer look to be really sure).

Friday 12/16: Paine. Too windy for much, but did find 2 Hermit Thrushes.

Sunday was the Greater Boston CBC, so I suppose I’m required to post a bit about it. Too cold for many pictures.

I got up a little before 6, intending to go owling. That didn’t work out as my car really didn’t want to start. On the third attempt, I finally got it to start and decided to just let it run for a few minutes and charge up the battery. I took a quick walk to the end of the street (no owl calling on its own and I wasn’t about to play a tape) and then over to Graverson, where a screech-owl flew in almost immediately. That’s #157 for the year in Waltham, a new high.

Wednesday 12/7: Hardy Pond in the rain, nothing exciting.

Thursday 12/8: Prospect Hill had nothing (and the flooded base was interesting walking). Feeder visitor was back for a good amount of time at night.

Friday 12/9: Didn’t get out.

Saturday 12/10: Drove around looking for things with snow in the name. Didn’t find any. Nice flock of turkeys near Nine Acre Corner and that was about it. Stopped at Waltham St. on the way back and found the Lark Sparrow singing!

Wednesday 11/30: Started for Moody St, looked like the gull numbers were way lower today so hit the regular part of the river walk instead. Saw very little (more turtles than birds beyond the railroad bridge).

Thursday 12/1: Hardy Pond on the way to work: 1 Ruddy, 3 Common Mergansers. BBN (all around the marsh) at lunch didn’t have anything exciting.

Friday 12/2: Lyman Pond: a few hoodies, not much else.

Wednesday 11/23: Quick scan of Hardy Pond and Cambridge Res didn’t appear to have anything new, although it was too cold and nasty to bother getting the scope out.

Thursday 11/24: Out to New Salem for Thanksgiving. Heard a Pileated but a walk through the center of town didn’t find anything.

Friday 11/25: Stopped at the School St. Fields in Acton on the way home and found a nice harrier. Flint’s Pond had a Double-crested Cormorant and a bunch of Common Mergansers among other ducks.