WIR 5/23-5/29

Wednesday 5/23: Went to Dunback, pretty quiet. Missed Karsten’s Yellow-bellied and the presumed Alder was a bit too far off to be sure. Couple parula and a Magnolia were ok.

Thursday 5/24: Finally got Swainson’s Thrush on the Charles with 3 at Forest Grove plus Osprey, most of the flycatchers, etc.

Friday 5/25: YB Cuckoo the highlight at Heard Farm, otherwise pretty much summer residents.

Saturday 5/26: Did a slightly western loop. Hop Brook had the expected birds, lots of baskettails, a couple Cicindela formosa, etc. Clouded up a bit at Assabet so the odes died down but still had 12ish species. Desert had more of the same, Veery and YB Cuckoo new for Marlborough.

Formosa

Aurora

Sunday 5/27: BBC/MBC walk at Great Meadows wasn’t too bad considering the weather (would have been very good if the dowitchers hung around another 5 minutes). Brief view of Least Bittern, 2 calling Virginia Rails, nice scope views of most of the other ‘specialties’. Since it’s been over a year for a life and state bird, wandered to Charlton for the Trumpeter Swan. Spent about as much time waving people to the other road as I did actually looking at the bird before I headed to Wachusett Res, which had very little. Checked Heard and the res on the way home without anything and nothing on the res or Hardy in the evening.

Trumpeter

Monday 5/28: Quick loop of the res had nothing, so headed to Great Meadows. Simon had beat me by a couple minutes. We spent about 4 hours on the platform and got a loon for our effort. Half-checked Flint’s from there, then went to Draw Seven (Common Tern plus a few expected Somerville birds), then Belle Isle (nothing exciting), Pico (Least Tern), then Winthrop Beach (100+ Least Terns), and finally Revere Beach (3 Manx Shearwater, lots of Surf Scoter).

Tuesday 5/29: BBN had the usual breeding stuff. Spotted Sandpiper was the most interesting.