Author: jason

Wednesday 10/9: Nor’easter didn’t quite materialize (at least the rain) but did a pond check anyway. Nothing on the res, absolutely nothing on Flint’s. Nothing at the bridge on Pelham Island Rd. Started with nothing but cormorants at Heard but eventually picked up a distant Ruddy. Pulled in at the other end to see if it was closer and had about 18 Rough-wings flying around. GW Teal back at the swamp.

Thursday 10/10: Thought it was supposed to be worse out so did a pond loop. Ruddy and a few Rough-wings at Heard the only birds of note (and almost the only birds).

Friday 10/11: Still a drop too nice, Great Meadows was very quiet.

Saturday 10/12: Started at Deer Island hoping for storm birds. Bit foggy/spraying for that but did have a Tree Swallow, 150+ Laughing Gulls, a few Bonaparte’s, a White-crowned Sparrow and see from ebird reports that I didn’t miss that much. Tried Nut Island next. Better visiblity but only a couple Peregrines as anything to note. Pulled in along Wollaston Beach on the way out and found one skimmer remaining. Earhart had police activity and 130+ cormorants lined up. Nothing at Spy Pond, Hobbs Brook, or the res in a quick drive around.

Sunday 10/13: Rusty Blackbird, PB Grebe, Ring-neck about it at Sandy Beach. Nothing exciting at the rest of the lakes or at Meadowbrook. Fresh Pond was quiet but had a decent number of Syrphids, although apparently all ones I’ve had this year. Quick scope of Arlington Res had nothing new and nothing in the open at Hobbs Brook (actually started the day at the res but the sun was too bad).

Monday 10/14: Nothing exciting at a brief stop along the Charles in Watertown and at Waltham St.

Tuesday 10/15: Tennessee or two, Purple Finch, 3+ Field Sparrows at the Wayland Community Gardens.

Wednesday 9/25: Finally had a decent flock of warblers at BBN including several Parula, BT Green, B+W, Nashville, Prairie, and Blackpoll (plus a few more BT Green elsewhere). Didn’t have time to check the upper parkway or sort through other flocks unfortunately.

Thursday 9/26: First White-throat of the fall at Rock Meadow but little else there and at the duck ponds.

Friday 9/27: Ton of Monarchs, a Tennessee, etc at Heard Farm. Lesser Yellowlegs at the Pelham Island Rd bridge.

Saturday 9/28: Suffolk run. Started at Deer Island, where I had a Tennessee Warbler, BT Green, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and not a ton else. Monarchs and ladies everywhere. Winthrop Beach next, a dog ran through the flocks before I got to them so not too much. Fisherman’s Bend had the American Golden-Plover but it was too windy (and the tide too high and too sunny) for much else. Drove along Revere Beach without much then stopped at Earhart (one Snowy Egret) on the way home.

Sunday 9/29: Joined Marj’s MBC walk that ended up at Dunback. Slowish start, eventually had a pocket with towhee, BT Green, Parula, and Black-and-white. At the bridge we had a slightly cooperative Connecticut (slightly as in 3 of us had brief views and a couple others saw and heard it fly). Back at the clearing, we had a few more warblers including Magnolia and Pine plus BH and RE Vireos, oriole, RB Grosbeak.

I continued to Hobbs Brook, which was very slightly down finally and had a Greater Yellowlegs then Arlington Res which had good numbers of the usual shorebirds plus a Pied-billed Grebe.

Monday 9/30: Went to Forest Grove. Got to the bridge, started to spish and a Blue-winged Warbler came right in. Fairly quiet the rest of the way around, so I had time to go back and try for better photos. No Blue-winged but a Nashville was nice.

Tuesday 10/1: Got out to Westborough again finally. No CT (but Tim didn’t have any after I left either). Did finally get a Lincoln’s for Worcester county plus sapsucker, 3 Indigos, etc.

Wednesday 9/18: Dunback was fairly quiet although I shouldn’t have listened to Marj and gone into the woods instead of down Bacon… Had a work function in Needham, ducked over to Millennium after, nothing really noteworthy.

Thursday 9/19: Sedge Meadow was fairly quiet, redstart, B+W, not much else.

Friday 9/20: First of fall pipits and Palm Warbler at Barrett’s Mill Farm.

Saturday 9/21: Started at Danehy. No Lark Sparrow but a nice Philadelphia Vireo. Earhart had 7 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 Snowy Egrets. Nothing at Waltham St.

Sunday 9/22: Walked to BBN. Did manage 10 warblers although none terribly exciting, a perched Broad-wing, and fairly quiet otherwise.

Monday 9/23: Dunback was totally dead, a Syrphid the only thing of any interest.

Tuesday 9/24: Got an oil change so only had a few minutes on Pelham Island Rd. Indigo Bunting, 2 Solitary, 1 Spotted Sandpiper about it.

Wednesday 9/11: Absolutely nothing at Elm Brook and Kaveski/Meriam’s. Did have a grosbeak in the yard though.

Thursday 9/12: Avoided the rain at Pelham Island Rd but got a good bit at Heard Pond, nothing exciting at either.

Friday 9/13: Prospect Hill was pretty dead except for another screech-owl responding to the scold.

Saturday 9/14: Led an MBC walk at BBN: GW Teal, Prairie Warbler, not a ton else. Buckeye was the only thing of note in a quick check of Waltham St. Went to Gloucester for the afternoon, walked Magnolia Point and checked Rafe’s Chasm without seeing much.

Sunday 9/15: Went to the hawk watch on Watatic. Pretty slow day, although it picked up enough in the afternoon to not be a complete waste. Had a moderate selection of warblers on the way up and a couple grouse on the way down.

Monday 9/16: All the usual shorebirds at Arlington Res.

Tuesday 9/17: Parula, Field Sparrow, Sharpie, and a probable Mourning Warbler were it at Wayland Community Gardens.

Wednesday 9/4: Great Meadows for passerines was a waste of time.

Thursday 9/5: Not much at Heard Farm.

Friday 9/6: Decent flock of warblers got away at BBN, then not much after.

Saturday 9/7: Started with a hope for storm-related birds at Great Meadows but since the rain had stopped and it wasn’t all that windy I didn’t have high hopes. Great Egret, eagle, not a whole lot else. Continued to Hobbs Brook which had another egret and nothing else, then Arlington Res (wigeon) and Waltham St (nothing).

Sunday 9/8: Attempted a pelican chase. Went to Marblehead Neck first. Fairly decent there, 10 species of warblers and a kingbird. Went towards Salem and promptly got stuck in a road race, after 20 minutes of going nowhere I gave up. Stopped at Bare Meadow in Reading on the way home, not much.

Monday 9/9: Pretty quiet at BBN except for a Screech-Owl responding to the scold tape, site #161.

Tuesday 9/10: Went to Westborough for a change. Lots of birds although nothing exciting. Highlights were 3 singing YT Vireos, a Red-shoulder, and a thrasher.

Wednesday 8/28: Nothing unexpected at Gaining Ground/Hanscom.

Thursday 8/29: Finally got a Semipalmated Sandpiper at BBN, otherwise the same plus a fisher or mink running across the parkway. Solitary Sandpiper flew past the yard in the evening.

Friday 8/30: Wayland Community Gardens were pretty dead. Three Osprey at Heard Pond. Finally had a couple nighthawks at home.

Saturday 8/31: A short local loop had a young Field Sparrow at Waltham St and more of the same at BBN. Out to Otis where I eventually wandered off to Colebrook Lake. On the quiet side but a couple Semipalms (both plovers and sandpipers) and 3 Greater Yellowlegs plus a Canada Warbler (GB Heron and Mallard were Berkshire county birds too somehow).

Sunday 9/1: Did the walk to Upper Spectacle before heading out. May have been too early, really dark in the woods most of the way. Ten warblers including Magnolia, 2 Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, 9+ BT Blue plus a probable Red Crossbill.

Monday 9/2: Did a Squantum area run. Squaw Rock park had about 3 migrants but the Wilson’s Warbler and Yellow-billed Cuckoo were ones I needed for Norfolk and the Tennessee was nice too. Not many birds at Passanageset but I got distracted by a large number of Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetles. Back to Squantum where Commander Shea Blvd was pretty slow (one probably Saltmarsh Sparrow and one hole to step in), nothing at Orchard Beach, and just small numbers of the normal sandpipers at the marshes. Traffic wasn’t too bad, so went up to Draw Seven and Earhart on the way home, 2 ravens were the only things of note.

Tuesday 9/3: A few redstarts, a BT Green, a kingbird, and 2 Least Flycatchers at Dunback.