2014

January:

County Glaucous

February:

Red-shoulder

March:

Scaup

April:

Caspian Tern 5 Horned Grebes and a Long-tailed Duck Glaucous

May:

Black-necked Stilt Ruff Fork-tailed

June:

Spatterdock

July:

Sora Rufous Hummingbird Wood Turtle Brush-tipped Golden-winged!

August:

Whimbrel Mating Red-bellies Silver-bordered Fritillary

September:

Kingbird

October:

Leach's Storm-Petrel Long-billed White-winged Scoters

November:

Longspur Cackling Goose

No travel, which needs to change. Only 1 lifer (Ruff), but 8 county birds (Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Whimbrel, Long-billed Dowitcher, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Lapland Longspur), and the tern and hummer were state birds as well (plus the Ruff obviously). Only 1 new bird for the Beaver Brook/Rock Meadow patch (Lesser Yellowlegs), but 7 for the Charles (Red-shouldered Hawk, Fox Sparrow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Ovenbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, and Tennessee Warbler). Caspian Tern was the only Waltham addition. Five for the yard (GH Owl, YB Cuckoo, Raven, Peregrine, BG Gnatcatcher).

Insectwise, White Corporal, Golden-winged Skimmer, and Brush-tipped Emerald were new odes in the county. Bog Copper and Silver-bordered Fritillary were state and county butterflies.

As for my county tick project, I broke 100 in 16 cities and am pushing towards 3000 town ticks.

Goals for next year: county ode list to 100 (9 away), county list to 295 (4 away), life list to 600 (40+ away), catch up with a few of the overdue state birds. And get the rest of the 2-town area over 100 (Burlington and Weston easy, Winchester, Arlington, and Bedford maybe).