Tuesday 7/27: Lyman Pond for the first time in a few months. Should stop more often: 5 Wood Duck, 4 Great Blue Heron, 3 Green Heron, 3 Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs. Peck’s Skipper in the yard, first one this year.
Wednesday 7/28: Prospect Hill was as quiet as I’ve ever seen it at lunch. Turkey Vulture and Osprey up the street after I got home were nice.
Thursday 7/29: River Walk had the first night-heron I’ve seen there in some time, which also brought my Waltham year list to equal my 2nd highest total (note that it’s still July). Otherwise pretty quiet.
Friday 7/30: Paine had a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a Wood Thrush and next to nothing else.
Saturday 7/31: Cambridge Res had a Green Heron, 2 Great Blues, a Great Egret, 2 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 kingfisher, several Least Sandpiper, and 2 Killdeer. Great Meadows had less than that plus a Black-crowned Night-Heron and Lesser Yellowlegs. Went searching for the Common Merganser that’s been hanging out on the Charles for the last week in the afternoon. Walked from the Stop in Shop in Watertown down to Watertown Square and then found it right at the Shaw’s. Very little otherwise.
Sunday 8/1: Helped with an insect survey in Saugus for most of the morning. Highlights here. Also 3 pheasants, 4 kestrels, etc. Quick Cambridge Res stop had 2 kingfishers beating fish against their perches.
Monday 8/2: Wandered the trail down to the YMCA. Pretty quiet but there are mudflats on Chesterbrook now. Only a killdeer on them however (one flew over the yard too). Big flocks of grackles and house sparrows flying around at night.