WIR 7/7-7/13

Wednesday 7/7: Nothing east of Watertown Square or at Gore.

Thursday 7/8: Busy but nothing out of the ordinary at Lindentree/St. Anne’s.

Friday 7/9: Tried to beat the rain and check the res but it was too foggy.

Saturday 7/10: Tons of terns at Draw Seven and Earhart but nothing much else. Osprey at the res in the afternoon.

Sunday 7/11: Concord 4th of July count, low numbers but not too bad with species. Also GH Owl and the usual odes.

Monday 7/12: Too rainy.

Tuesday 7/13: Quick walk around the Hardy Pond neighborhood had nothing.

WIR 6/30-7/6

Wednesday 6/30: Tanner’s Brook had the usual.

Thursday 7/1: Night-Herons on both sides of the square were about it in Watertown.

Friday 7/2: Eagle at the res for the first time in a little while. Nothing at Flint’s. Heron with a rodent at Nine Acre, usual at Hardy.

Saturday 7/3: Went out to Wayland in the mist. Couple Marsh Wrens, a YT Vireo, and a new bird for me at Heard (pigeon!). More vireos at the pond. Water Row had a Willow Flycatcher and the res had nothing on the way home.

Sunday 7/4: Went to Alewife to work on the Cambridge year list. Trail was completely flooded (went up to the top of my boot just trying to cross the first bridge), so did the ponds then went to Fresh Pond. Loon there called a couple times. Also Orchard Oriole carrying food, Willow Flycatcher, and lots of waxwings.

Monday 7/5: Great Meadows was fairly quiet. Stopped at Mattison Field on the way home, tons of gliders and monarchs but not much else.

Tuesday 7/6: Marsh Wren was singing at BBN. Also Black-shoulderd Spinylegs and a Monarch.

WIR 6/23-6/29

Wednesday 6/23: Nothing at Dunback, no interesting insects either.

Thursday 6/24: Nothing on the river.

Friday 6/25: Weston Station Pond  had 40+ herons and a bunch of Indigos but no shorebirds.

Saturday 6/26: Led a BBC walk in Ashby. Willard Brook was quietish, but we had great views of multiple Louisiana Waterthrush. Didn’t get deep into the woods however. Watatic had multiple sapsuckers, a cooperative Prairie, and lots of ants. Quick stop at Fitchburg Res had distant loons.

Sunday 6/27: Hop Brook into the Desert and Assabet had nothing terribly exciting, few robbers and other insects.

Monday 6/28: Nothing much at Lone Tree Hill or the duck ponds.

Tuesday 6/29: Usual at BBN.

WIR 6/16-6/2

Wednesday 6/16: Went back to Hartwell to look for the GWWA songster. No sign on the way down, Alder singing at the boardwalk turns out to be new for me in Lincoln. Started back and the warbler was singing. Pinned it down to the treeline along the edge of the park and waited 30 minutes for a Blue-winged to come out (as expected).

Thursday 6/17: Went out to Round Hill and Great Meadows headquarters to pick up some summer residents for Sudbury. Got 20 I think, Veery, BG Gnatcatcher, etc about the most interesting.

Friday 6/18: Nothing along the river.

Saturday 6/19: Sandy Beach was pretty quiet. Went to AGM after, mostly for bugs. Bit cloudy, but a few good things.

Sunday 6/20: Went to Ponkapoag. Swamp Spreadwing on the way to the boardwalk, Elfin Skimmers on the boardwalk plus what I assume are Mantled Baskettails, then a Comet Darner at the pond. Few weird gaps (no whitetail(!) too. Got home, started to look at photos and got a text that there was a Bar-winged Skimmer on the boardwalk… Oh well.

Monday 6/21: Falzone was quiet, although did finally get Green Heron for the ‘commute’ patch list as well as a few interesting flies.

Tuesday 6/22: Great Meadows was quiet except for what sounded like a martin and FOY Blue-fronted Dancers.

WIR 6/9-6/15

Wednesday 6/9: Started at Hobbs Brook. Chestnut-sided sang and flew past me not too far from where one seemed to set up a couple years ago. Prairie was singing at the power lines. Did the Shade St trails after, nothing of note there. Still had a few minutes so stopped at Hardy and had a Ruddy.

Thursday 6/10: Hanscom had the usual.

Friday 6/11: Nothing at Cookson, the merganser was back at the dam.

Saturday 6/12: Started at Belle Isle (well quick stop at the res had a loon). Redstart was singing near the parking lot, got the expected year birds plus the thrasher that has been hanging out and an ibis. Earhart next, Great Egret and a pewee or two were the most interesting. Grosbeak in the yard for dinner.

Sunday 6/13: Minuteman survey, about as expected (pending confirming an odd song as just a Blue-wing). Loop of Kaveski after, nothing of note, then 2 loons on Flint’s on the way home.

Monday 6/14: BBN had the expected stuff (mostly, mowing at Mackerel and rain starting limited things a bit). Indigo was #120 on the commute patches year list and a Slender Spreadwing finally posed after getting multiple spreadwing sp elsewhere this year.

Tuesday 6/15: Bunch of Night-Herons at Purgatory plus a Virginia Rail almost at the bridge through Flowed Meadow.

WIR 6/2-6/8

Wednesday 6/2: Nothing much at Falzone or West Meadow.

Thursday 6/3: Had a work thing, so tried for crossbills again. No luck, not too much else there either. Quick check of Heard Pond had nothing.

Friday 6/4: Pretty quiet around Watertown Square, redstart the only thing of interest. Water level was too high for the merganser’s rock, hope it’s still around.

Saturday 6/5: Did a Worcester county run. Started at Bolton Flats. The shorebird show had moved on but got the bittern and the overdue county Willow Flycatcher plus Bank Swallow, Hooded Merganser, etc. Continued to the Pine Hill Grasslands where both Vesper and Grasshopper Sparrows were fairly easy. Also lots of raptors and a few butterflies and dragonflies. Decided to try for the hybrid warbler in Upton next, although it was getting hot and was a bit further away than I realized. Heard but not seen unfortunately. Ton of odes around including a Swamp Darner. Then traffic going home.

Sunday 6/6: Winchester was the lowest of my local towns year list project (apparently hadn’t been there since March), so went to boost that a bit today. Started at the North Reservoir in the Fells. Fairly decent variety including two holes in the overall town list (Ovenbird and RB Grosbeak, I said holes). Also lots of Stream Cruisers and stuff. Went to Sandy Beach next, but the parking lot was overflowing, so I just went to Arlington Res instead. No shorebirds there and nothing around Cambridge Res.

Monday 6/7: Early loop of Rock Meadow was pretty quiet. FOY Monarch and European Skippers.

Tuesday 6/8: Nothing unexpected at College Pond.

WIR 5/26-6/1

Wednesday 5/26: Arlington Res had too much construction, so went to McClennen which had mowers. Quick run around there then had time for the res, which had a fox running along Old County.

Thursday 5/27: Got the merganser along the Charles (stay another few days), plus a redstart.

Friday 5/28: Usual stuff at Farm Meadow, Bobolinks are always enjoyable.

Saturday 5/29: Pretty nasty, but a NE wind. Swallows at the res, more swallows at Great Meadows. Decided it wasn’t too bad so walked a bit, Least BIttern flew off to the left and then a perched Purple Martin to the right!

Sunday 5/30: Earhart/Draw Seven were quiet, did eventually get one tern. Stopped at Arlington Res briefly and had a Least Sandpiper, then a ton of Chimney Swifts at Hardy Pond.

Monday 5/31: One more attempt at storm-related birds, starting at Farm Pond in Framingham. Nothing brought in, but an Orchard Oriole and a few others were new for Framingham, so over 90 there now. Heard Pond looked dead, decided to do the gardens instead of Heard Farm. Usual stuff there, but ran into Brian on the way out who tipped me off about possibly nesting crossbills nearby. No luck today, but I’ll keep an eye (did need them for the month though, so a bit disappointing). Did hear a Barred Owl and Pileated while waiting.

Tuesday 6/1: BBN, plan was to loop the woods for cuckoos. Passing the marsh, a Sora started ker-weeing, so I stopped and tried to get a  view (impossible there). While waiting, a Virginia Rail and Marsh Wren started calling too! Eventually did the loop including out to the Concord Ave marsh but nothing exciting elsewhere.

That’s patch #187 and Waltham #224.

WIR 5/19-5/25

Wednesday 5/19: Chased the Golden-wing around Mt. Auburn for half the morning, eventually got fair views. Commute #239! Also Canada, a dull Swainson’s Thrush, etc. Bay-breasted in the yard too.

Thursday 5/20: Alder Flycatcher and a weasel were about it at Dunback.

Friday 5/21: No migrants east of Watertown Square. None at the square either, but the heron show was better than expected.

Saturday 5/22: Started at Hall’s Pond where a Canada Warbler was #200 in Norfolk. Couldn’t decide on a next spot, ended up at Lost Pond which was pretty quiet (FOY Whitetail) only to see that most of the other spots I was thinking about had at least one bird I needed for the county.

Sunday 5/23: Led my first walk in ages, a BBC one at Great Meadows. Group (probably) had Least Bittern, plus YB Cuckoo and most of the expected birds. Also FOY whitefaces and a few other odes and some Laphria mating.

Monday 5/24: Hanscom didn’t have a ton, did get most of the Bedford year birds I wanted. Also a few more odes, some Syrphids, etc.

Tuesday 5/25: Quietish at Forest Grove, Willow Flycatcher and a couple Orchard Orioles about the most interesting.

‘Commute’ 240

After nothing new for the ‘commute’ list in a couple months (missing multiple Yellow-throated Warblers among other things), two this week. The Golden-winged Warbler at Mt. Auburn was moderately expected. This wasn’t though:

Night Herons

That means only 10 from the 250 milestone. Obvious birds remaining are Common Nighthawk (tougher because of the time that qualifies as ‘commuting’), Clay-colored Sparrow, Surf Scoter, Northern Saw-whet Owl, and Worm-eating Warbler. Others that seem reasonable include Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lapland Longspur, Gray-cheeked Thrush (have a /Bicknell’s that I could count), Red-headed Woodpecker, Upland Sandpiper, and Worm-eating Warbler. Black Vulture, Nelson’s Sparrow, White-eyed Vireo, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Sandhill Crane are all reasonable too. And plenty of random rarities.

Averaging 8-9 a year for the last couple years, so likely still a year away.

WIR 5/12-5/18

Wednesday 5/12: No YT Warbler or Summer Tanager at Mt. Auburn, Chestnut-sided new for the year about it.

Thursday 5/13: FOY Indigo Bunting and Scarlet Tanager plus a few other things at Weston Station Pond, although not as much as I had hoped. Orchard Oriole singing as I passed the res on the way home.

Friday 5/14: Orchard Oriole, redstart by the Braille Trail. Cape May by the pool, which was a patch bird for the Charles.

Saturday 5/15: Birdathon, repeated last year’s on foot attempt. Only had 70, which probably means last year’s was a good effort and not much higher is likely unless something dries out and gets shorebirds. Highlights were 2 Tennessee, a Bay-breasted, and Least Flycatcher.

Sunday 5/16: Did a loop of Mary Cummings, fairly quiet (and looked like that pretty much everywhere). Did have a Bay-breasted and a couple White-crowns. Saw a report of Lesser Yellowlegs in front of the Y, so stopped there on the way home, found 2 Solitaries. Had time to check the res too, loon was out in the middle but not much else.

Monday 5/17: Habitat was hopping. Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Cape May, Blackburnian among 14 warblers plus a Swainson’s Thrush and 50+ species in total.

Tuesday 5/18: Bit slower at Tanner’s Brook. Another Bay-breasted was new for Lincoln. Also passed 1000 on my local towns yearlist project.