Author: jason

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).

Wednesday 4/29: BH Vireo was about it at BBN (pretty sure I heard a distant grosbeak but it shut up by the time I got closer).

Thursday 4/30: Yellow Warbler at Forest Grove.

Friday 5/1: Bufflehead and adult eagle at Hardy, nothing elsewhere. Afternoon loop had essentially the same except there were now 2 eagles at Hardy and they were actually more visible from the yard than from the other side.

Saturday 5/2: Northern Waterthrush at Meadowbrook (Arlington #99). Nothing at Draw Seven. Towhee, Hermit Thrush, 3 Osprey at Station Landing. Lots of Savannahs and a raven at Earhart. Quick stop at Menotomy Rocks on the way home got Pine Warbler, so 22 towns to 100 now. Kestrel, Osprey, at least one eagle, and a Turkey Vulture over the yard plus FOY Chimney Swifts.

Sunday 5/3: Moderate movement overnight, FOY Blue-winged, BT Green, Ovenbird, Parula, Common Yellowthroat at Nobscot plus a few Black-and-white, a Louisiana Waterthrush, many BH Vireos, a grosbeak, and a catbird. No odes out at Assabet and the Desert, moderately good butterflies though along with a few Broad-wings.

Monday 5/4: Lots of recent arrivals at BBN, kingbird and Wood Thrush were the only ones new for the year but about 12 patch year birds.

Tuesday 5/5: Watertown Charles while doing errands. Lots of Warbling Vireos and a few warblers including Nashville.

Wednesday 4/22: Nothing at the res, same eagle at Hardy, waxwings and a kingfisher at the duck ponds.

Thursday 4/23: Good number of Palms, a few Pines and Yellow-rumps plus turkeys flying across the river at Purgatory/Forest Grove.

Friday 4/24: Fairly quiet at Arlington Res, Spotted Sandpiper and Barn Swallow new for the prework list. Nothing much at the res, eagle again at Hardy.

Saturday 4/25: First Black-and-white and RB Grosbeak of the year at Hanscom plus at least 6 kestrels. Nothing much at Warner’s Pond. A few Common Mergansers and a Ring-neck still at the res. Raccoon on Concord Ave in between. Chipping Sparrow in the yard finally.

Sunday 4/26: Couple Bufflehead on the res (and the odd sight of 2 Kingfishers on the wires by Wagon Wheel while getting gas first). Assabet had the interesting towhee and both waterthrushes. Did the near 6 mile outer loop and don’t think I saw much of interest after the first couple. Unfortunately too cloudy for any bugs beyond a springtail mass.

Monday 4/27: Finally got some storm-related birds with 4 Red-necked and a Horned Grebe on the res. Loon at Flint’s may or may not have been related (or new). Nothing much at Nine Acre or Hardy.

Tuesday 4/28: Nothing at Arlington Res.

Wednesday 4/15: Almost nothing in a very quick run around the duck ponds.

Thursday 4/16: Only enough time for a quick check of the Charles in Watertown, 10 night-herons before my face covering caused my glasses to fog to the point I couldn’t see.

Friday 4/17: Ton of Savannahs by Kaveski but not much else. Finished with enough time to check the res (eagle, 5 Common Mergansers) and Hardy (different eagle, RW Swallow).

Saturday 4/18: Did a res->NAC->School St and back loop without anything worth noting.

Sunday 4/19: Nothing at the res. Spotted Sandpiper and kestrel at NAC. Hour and a half on Water Row had a flyover Great Egret, the catbird, and a few raptors.

Monday 4/20: Kestrel and a couple gnatcatchers at BBN.

Tuesday 4/21: May or may not have been chased out of Upper Vine Brook by a fox. Kestrel and the usual at Dunback. Quick loop of the res after the storms in the evening had a good number of mergansers and Bufflehead but no obvious storm drop ins.

Wednesday 4/8: Quick check of Hardy and the res had nothing. Hairy in the yard was the first in some time.

Thursday 4/9: Forest Grove was pretty quiet (3 phoebes, Chipping Sparrow, Pine Warbler). DC Cormorant and a bluebird at the res on the way home.

Friday 4/10: Marsh Wren, Virginia Rail, Palm Warblers along Concord Ave. Took circling the entire place but finally got a snipe at Waltham St.

Saturday 4/11: Nothing at the res. RB Merg at Flint’s. Probable ibis at Nine Acre along with 4 feeding Turkey Vultures.

Sunday 4/12: Towhee at Ricci Field, gnatcatcher and FOY butterflies (Comma and Cabbage White) and Tanner’s Brook.

Monday 4/13: Nothing much on a pond loop.

Tuesday 4/14: BW Teal and kestrel at BBN.

Wednesday 4/1: Another Fox Sparrow but not much else at the West Meadow (should have bushwhacked down to the concrete pad…). About the same ducks at Hardy.

Thursday 4/2: Chased the Canvasbacks at Fresh Pond, commute #228 (and an April bird, so another month with an addition, was expecting that to be tough).

Friday 4/3: Yuck

Saturday 4/4: PB Grebe at the res but little else. Not much at Nine Acre or Knox Trail. One snipe at Waltham St. Afternoon look of the western side of the Charles had a bunch of vultures over Norumbega and another grebe at Edgewater. Killdeer calling from a roof on Bear Hill Rd was interesting too.

Sunday 4/5: Tried Round hill since I won’t be getting there on the way to work any time soon. Snipe and a couple GW Teal at Pantry Brook, 3+ Pine Warblers on the hill, and a Palm in the gardens on the way out. Stopped along Water Row where Brian picked up a kestrel, I got an Osprey, and then a catbird came in within seconds of him leaving. Nothing much on Pelham Island Rd beyond people.

Monday 4/6: Mostly the usual at BBN, phoebe, Chipping Sparrow new in plus a kingfisher. Raven at Norumbega later and vulture over the yard.

Tuesday 4/7: Nothing different at St. Anne’s.

Wednesday 3/25: Rusties and a Fox Sparrow at BBN.

Thursday 3/26: Quick run along the Charles east of Watertown Square had nothing of interest.

Friday 3/27: At least one Fox Sparrow at Falzone plus patch FOY Killdeer. Quick stop at Hardy had a few Tree Swallows.

Saturday 3/28: Two Fields Sparrows (finally a March bird for the county), Rusties, a kestrel, and a phoebe at Hanscom. Another Field Sparrow at Waltham St. Tree Swallows over the yard and nothing on the res in an afternoon check.

Sunday 3/29: Pretty yuck out, pond loop had pretty much nothing. Did finally have a second Red-belly in the yard.

Monday 3/30: Nothing in a res/NAC/Flint’s loop. Thanks to a text from Francis, patch bird #184 at lunch:

Tuesday 3/31: 4+ Fox Sparrows at Dunback, Fish Crows at home.