WIR 7/29-8/4

Wednesday 7/29: Had to stop by Habitat so walked around a bit. RB Nuthatch along the road and the goats were about it. Solitary at the duck ponds after.

Thursday 7/30: White-throat was a real surprise at Dunback, my first in July.

Friday 7/31: Nothing at Falzone, which left enough time to check Hardy (nothing) and the res (PB Grebe was back, which means 140 up for the Cambridge region pre-work list).

Saturday 8/1: Quick check of the parkway marsh at BBN had a few sandpipers. Draw Seven was quiet. Debated skipping Earhart but decided it was right there, so pulled in. Headed towards the casino side and noticed a whiter-looking gull where the mud would be if it wasn’t high tide. Worked around to get a better angle and it looked pretty good for a white-winger and Glaucous on size. Eventually flew over the dam (more or less got flight shots). Doubled back pretty quickly and got some much better views. First “inland” summer record for the state as far as I can tell (and there’s only one other nationally with a quick eyeball of the ebird map). Continued to Belle Isle, which was a waste (less so than looping Winthrop and Revere Beaches and finding no parking first).

Sunday 8/2: Finally got the central-ish MA swing in. Whitehall Res had one loon but no chicks visible. Hummingbird and eagle the other birds of note. Next was the Cedar Swamp in Holliston. Trail cleared a bit since I was last here. Too cloudy for odes unfortunately, Lilypad Forktail the most interesting (so not very). A few birds, nothing much there either. Looked for a spot in Ashland to stop but didn’t find anything worthwhile, so continued to Pelham Island Rd. Single Spotted and Solitary on the river was about it.

Monday 8/3: Quick check of Watertown Square was extremely quiet.

Tuesday 8/4: Regular shorebirds at BBN, nothing much else. All the Sooty Tern reports came in just as I finished work for the day so ran over to Cambridge Res. No terns but 3 yellowlegs and 3 dowitchers were nice (dowitchers especially since they were res #178 and Waltham #221).

Dowitchers

WIR 7/22-7/28

Wednesday 7/22: 14 Ibis over Great Meadows.

Thursday 7/23: Too humid, family of Cooper’s at West Meadow, nothing at the duck ponds.

Friday 7/24: College Pond had a Winter Wren.

Saturday 7/25: Usual at Horn Pond, still just one Solitary at BBN. Monarch up in Gloucester.

Sunday 7/26: Heard Farm had a flyover ibis among other things plus a few Monarchs. Nothing new at the bridge. Blair Pond looked like the water level was up. Nothing at the res.

Monday 7/27: No crossbills at Mt. Misery.

Tuesday 7/28: A few more of the common shorebirds at BBN plus a hairstreak.

WIR 7/15-7/21

Wednesday 7/15: Fairly quiet at Great Meadows, although a few GW Teal were my earliest fall arrival.

Thursday 7/16: Broad-wing at BBN.

Friday 7/17: Errands and rain. Quick run along the Charles in Watertown had nothing. Very quick stop at the duck ponds had a high Osprey.

Saturday 7/18: Should have gone inland today but made a Squantum run. Stilt Sandpiper was almost the closest bird in the pans and an ibis flew over. Fairly quiet otherwise. Nut Island was dead. Quick scan of Wollaston didn’t have the Piping Plovers but I wasn’t going to search if they’ve left the enclosure. Fish kill by Earhart meant 600+ gulls, nothing interesting among them.

Sunday 7/19: Hop Brook and the Desert didn’t have much for interesting bugs. Stopped at Pelham Island Rd on the way home and had a singing marsh Wren. Mud flat at the river looked good but nothing beyond a Killdeer on it. Pied-billed Grebe at the res was interesting too.

Monday 7/20: Too steamy at Dunback, basically nothing but robins.

Tuesday 7/21: Solitary at BBN was about the only new thing.

WIR 7/8-7/14

Wednesday 7/8: Usual at BBN.

Thursday 7/9: Usual at Forest Grove, still lots of tree damage from last Thursday so didn’t do the Flowed Meadow loop.

Friday 7/10: Usual at Hobbs Brook, both orioles together were nice.

Saturday 7/11: Quiet at Mary Cummings Park. Nothing in a brief stop at Parker Meadow. Not much better luck with Comet Darner photos at Healthpoint but did have good views and an ovipositing Unicorn Clubtail.

Sunday 7/12: Concord Butterfly count. Did Acton as usual. Awful butterfly numbers but some other interesting insects including a Martha’s Pennant.

Monday 7/13: Indigo Bunting was about it at Rock Meadow, Green Heron at the duck ponds.

Tuesday 7/14: Finally checked out the Weston Station Pond area. Couple Orchard Orioles and a Broad-wing plus another weasel.

WIR 7/1-7/7

Wednesday 7/1: Usual at Falzone and West Meadow.

Thursday 7/2: No odd kingbird along the Charles in Watertown.

Friday 7/3: Eagle but no Cliff Swallows at Nine Acre. Nothing at Gore or along the Charles in Watertown.

Saturday 7/4: Started at Draw Seven. Really good tern show and finally got Big Bluet on that side of the river. Earhart side was more of the same. Sun came out, so went to Arlington Great Meadows. Black-and-white Warbler was a nice surprise to start and then had a half dozen or more different robber flies plus a few butterflies, etc.

Sunday 7/5: Out to Ashby for the first time in a little while. Blood Hill didn’t have juncos or any less expected warblers but Red Crossbills were flying over and a sapsucker was also a month bird. Met up with Alan at Willard Brook, which had jewelwings, Least Clubtails, and little else. Townsend State Forest had most of the usual odes plus a Golden-winged Skimmer.

Monday 7/6: Kaveski/Meriam’s loop had the usual.

Tuesday 7/7: Eagle, close raven, and expected stuff at Farm Meadow.

WIR 6/24-6/30

Wednesday 6/24: Nothing new at BBN. Too cloudy for much in bugs.

Thursday 6/25: Minuteman survey finally, not terribly exciting. Loon at Flint’s on the way back.

Friday 6/26: Quick run along the Charles in Watertown had the usual.

Saturday 6/27: Suffolk loop was successful other than no Manx and no parking available at Deer Island. Piping Plover, Least Terns at Winthrop Beach, oystercatcher at Fisherman’s Bend, Saltmarsh Sparrow and Glossy Ibis (county bird finally) at Belle Isle, and Bonaparte’s Gulls at the north end of Revere Beach. Earhart on the way home had 4+ Common Terns plus Big Bluets (Spot-winged Gliders everywhere).

Sunday 6/28: Decided not to head west and went to Estabrook to try for Canada Warbler. No luck with that and not too much else. Made a quick stop at one of the spiketail spots but didn’t feel like waiting around. Next, up to Tyngsboro to try a few spots along the Merrimack. Dancers, a River Cruiser, and not much else in two stops. Clouded up so I didn’t try to hard to find the third spot I had picked out online and went home.

Monday 6/29: Adult redstart and a few Rough-wings at BBN.

Tuesday 6/30: Loon at Flint’s, nothing at Hardy or the res first.

WIR 6/17-6/23

Wednesday 6/17: Spicebush Swallowtail was about it at Prospect Hill.

Thursday 6/18: Interesting morning at BBN, RB Nuthatch, Ovenbird, multiple Redstarts among other things.

Friday 6/19: Tried Tanner’s Brook for a change. Blue-winged Warblers surprised me but habitat looked ok in hindsight. Prairie was nice too. Also Azure Bluet and Laphria thoracica.

Saturday 6/20: Started at Hanscom, which was pretty quiet for everything. Continued to Fawn Lake and had a couple Cyrano Darners but not much else. Stopped at Healthpoint and had a couple Comet Darners and a Carolina Saddlebags plus a lot of what I assume are Boreal Bluets.

Sunday 6/21: Did a quick loop in the Fells without much, then Horn Pond Mountain which had nothing (1 Silver-spotted Skipper was the only butterfly).

Monday 6/22: Nothing at the res, nothing at Great Meadows.

Tuesday 6/23: Not much at Dunback.

WIR 6/10-6/16

Wednesday 6/10: Quiet at Great Meadows beyond a few Virginia Rails.

Thursday 6/11: Went back for the Hooded Warbler, #229 on the “commute” list.

Friday 6/12: Hobbs Brook was quiet but a singing Yellow-throated Vireo was #177 for the res patch.

Saturday 6/13: No Acadian at BBN, redstart the most interesting. Ponkapoag for odes with Alan and Soheil had lots of Elfin Skimmers and a few other things, probably a bit early for the bluets. 

Sunday 6/14: Started at Fort Pond Brook. Lilypad Clubtail, Broad-wing among the highlights. Cranberry Bog next, which was pretty quiet, a couple robbers and Syrphids the most interesting. Tried a spot in Chelmsford next. It looked ok on the trail map, but was mostly a mountain bike course through deep pine woods. Fish Crow was the only thing of interest.

Monday 6/15: Close encounter with a deer at Falzone, not too much else.

Tuesday 6/16: College Pond for the first time in ages. Barred Owl was almost outside the woods and was ‘commute’ #150 for the year. At least 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches calling as well.

WIR 6/3-6/9

Wednesday 6/3: Meadowlark finally at the Massport trails but otherwise just the usual.

Thursday 6/4: Ovenbird, couple redstarts about it at Dunback.

Friday 6/5: Couldn’t find the Hooded Warbler or any Cliff Swallows at Nine Acre. Loon was out on Flint’s on the way home.

Saturday 6/6: Gave the Hooded another try, nothing much there. Joined Alan and Soheil at the Eagle Reserve to odes, found lots of Belted Whitefaces, a couple Ebony Boghaunter, and 20ish other species. Fairly decent birds too.

Sunday 6/7: Started at October Farm where a swimming deer was the only thing of note. Ended up continuing to Nashoba Brook. Picked up a few Westford birds plus FOY Calico Pennant. Afternoon trip to Farm Meadow found Norm’s singing Hooded Warbler (finally a June one).

Monday 6/8: Northern Waterthrush was a surprise at BBN, FOY local ringlet the only other thing of interest.

Tuesday 6/9: Mostly running errands, nothing overly exciting along the Charles on either side of Watertown Square or at the duck ponds.