Author: jason

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wednesday 5/27: Prospect Hill, first baskettails, a BT Green, and a new robber fly (Neoitamus orphne).

Thursday 5/28: Pretty quiet at Forest Grove. Walking by the pines to head out, I noticed a few agitated birds and eventually found an entire family of Screech-Owls right above the road.

Friday 5/29: Bobolink was new for the commute year at Farm Meadow but not much else.

Saturday 5/30: Went down to Rocky Narrows in Sherborn for Worm-eating Warbler and to get the Sherbon list going. Got at least one of the warblers and 50+ species there. Continued to the Charles Link Trail in Medfield where I had 3 Norfolk birds (Veery, YT Vireo, Least Flycatcher) plus FOY Turquoise Bluets and Harlequin Darner. Baskettail in the yard later.

Sunday 5/31: Started with the Old Rifle Range, Winter Wren, 2 waterthrush, etc. Went to Two Rod Road next. No boghaunter but a few other odes. Stopped at Hobbs Brook on the way home, very quiet.

Monday 6/1: Rock Meadow was fairly quiet, which left enough to circle the duck ponds. They were quiet too, but a Pileated at the bottom of the hill was patch #185!

Tuesday 6/2: Alder Flycatcher among the usual at BBN.

Wednesday 5/20: Pewee, Indigo Bunting (finally) and Field Sparrow at BBN.

Thursday 5/21: Nothing along the Charles in Watertown. Quick check of the duck ponds had no shorebirds but a waterthrush finally for the pre-work list.

Friday 5/22: Very little in Hayden Woods. Enough time to check Brookhaven on the way home. Quiet there too but had both forktails so ode season is finally underway!

Saturday 5/23: Started with a Squantum run. Squaw Rock Park had Blackburnian, Tennessee, Magnolia, etc. Water was pretty quiet. Two Willets and one Snowy Egret about it at the marshes. Wind had picked up, so after a quick drive along Wollaston, I bailed and went to Earhart. Nothing at Draw Seven, tern and little else at Earhart proper. Did Hobbs Brook for the first time in awhile before heading home, Canada Warbler was #176 for the res and some nice Syrphids too.

Sunday 5/24: No dowitchers at Arlington Res (as expected). Not much else either. BBN had a handful of migrants, Blackburnian the only interesting one. And a Common Whitetail, first dragonfly of the year. Arlington Great Meadows had very little, Red Admiral the most interesting bug.

Monday 5/25: Took advantage of the holiday and went out to Townsend and Ashby. Unfortunately the misty, cloudy skies never cleared so no bugs. Ruffed Grouse at Townsend Hill and Watatic, Barred Owl at Townsend State Forest and Watatic, and FOY Alder Flycatcher and Bobolink.

Tuesday 5/26: Nothing too exciting at Falzone (except for the gate being open).