Wednesday 10/25: PB Grebe and a couple Ring-necks on Hardy. Too much traffic to check the res too.
Thursday 10/26: 13 Pecs, 1 of each yellowlegs at Hobbs Brook plus 35 Wood Ducks, lots of teal, and a Common Merganser.
Friday 10/27: Usual at Great Meadows. No scoters or other sea stuff at the res on the way home.
Saturday 10/28: Plan was to do Rock Meadow to the West Meadow. Got an early start and decided a quick run around the res would be good as that would let the sun hit Rock Meadow. More or less the usual stuff at the res (up to 12 coots and an eagle), but lots of calls at the Trapelo end, so I got out and walked a bit. Almost the first bird was a Winter Wren, #167 for the patch. Also lots of Yellow-rumps, both kinglets, a Hermit Thrush, and some more ducks. Decided to continue to Hobbs Brook. Nothing particularly exciting there, but 50+ species combined. Also checked out the new trail behind the new construction and it looks very good for land birding in the spring.
Decided to skip Rock Meadow. West Meadow was quiet, as was BBN (did have a buckeye). Gave the duck ponds enough of a check to say it was just geese and mallard, then went to Waltham St, which was also pretty quiet.
Sunday 10/29: Decided to try Deer Island again. No parking and no one parking on the road when I got there, so doubled back to Winthrop Beach for a few. Lots of Black-bellied Plovers with a few turnstones, Dunlin, and a single dowitcher (calling Short-billed for now). Got my Suffolk county gannet way out and a few ducks plus a flyover pipit and some more pipit/lark type things. Several spaces open at Deer Island, so started by walking the hill for passerines. Nothing much for them, but a turkey was a surprise. Grabbed the scope and made the full circuit. Usual ducks, plus 4 gannets in close. Big Laughing and Bonaparte’s Gull flock by the airport on the way back plus about 25 Tree Swallows. Stopped at Earhart on the way home. Three Ruddy were nice, along with a GC Kinglet, 3 Yellow-rumps, and a few sparrows. Gull frenzy from the Somerville side didn’t have anything good, but a Swamp Sparrow was a fairly decent bird for the location.
Monday 10/30: Pond check, Greater Scaup at the res was the extent of anything.
Tuesday 10/31: Same at Great Meadows plus a couple wigeon and an eagle.