Author: jason

Wednesday 5/2: Went back to Arlington Res to get the grosbeak for May and for the commute. Took more effort than I had hoped but I did get it. Also FOY Baltimore Orioles and Green Heron plus a ton of Yellow-rumps. Sitting outside in the evening had an Osprey go over.

Thursday 5/3: Got up early to go to Nobscot but a text from Tim as I was leaving saying it was slow had me head to BBN instead. Good decision, lots of yearbirds including catbird, parula, Black-and-white, RB Grosbeak, Blue-winged, and my first spring Orange-crowned. 

Friday 5/4: Drizzled enough that I abandoned plans for Prospect Hill and went to Heard Pond instead. Early Blackpoll, GC Flycatcher, etc.

Saturday 5/5: Suffolk county run. Goal was to hit 200 (starting at 191). Deer Island was hopping (finally), 12 warblers (Waterthrush, BT Blue, Prairie, Wilson’s all targets), plus gnatcatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, oystercatchers, tons of sparrows, and more. Piping Plover and nothing else at Winthrop Beach. Greenway had another waterthrush and a calling Least Flycatcher plus FOY Common Green Darner (presumably). Belle Isle was pretty dead. Did get a Veery and FOY Chimney Swift. Missed the Hooded Warbler in Mission Hill but did get a thrasher (199) plus Blue-winged and a few other things. Made up for that at Millennium. Not a whole lot else there but did get to 80 on the day.

Sunday 5/6: Swainson’s Thrush was 168 for the res on the new trail at Hobbs Brook. Also redstart and Prairie, FOY Scarlet Tanager and Spotted Sandpiper, and a few other things. Wasn’t quite lousy enough at Great Meadows but did have a couple yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers go over. Solitary and Spotted along the river plus another Blackpoll and most of the usual residents. White-crowned in the yard late in the day was the first in 10 years.

Monday 5/7: Another Swainson’s, this time at Lot 1 plus probably a pair of Broad-wings.

Tuesday 5/8: Made the drive out to Westborough for a little change. Nothing overly exciting, filled the White-crowned Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, and Orchard Oriole gaps in Worcester county.

Wednesday 4/25: Nothing in the rain at the res, Flint’s, Nine Acre, or Heard.

Thursday 4/26: Thrasher (new for Lincoln) and House Wren at Lindentree.

Friday 4/27: Warbling Vireo, not a lot else at Farm Pond. Turkey running around at work.

Saturday 4/28: Too sunny at the res (couldn’t look at the water), nothing at McClennen. Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, 2 thrashers in addition at Arlington Res. Nothing at Meadowbrook, 1 Mourning Cloak but no elfins or azures at Arlington Great Meadows.

Sunday 4/29: BBC Mt. Auburn trip had GH Owl, turkeys, and not much else. Great Meadows was a waste beyond FOY Marsh Wren and BH Vireo (in a downpour). Nothing at the res.

Monday 4/30: Chased a reported Audubon’s (that wasn’t) at Sudbury Great Meadows. FOY Ovenbird and a few other things.

Tuesday 5/1: BH Vireo and not much more at Forest Grove.

Wednesday 4/18: Lot 1 had a Field Sparrow.

Thursday 4/19: Too snowy(!). Palm and some cormorants were about all I could see at the res. Did finally get a Rough-winged Swallow at Heard Pond on the way home.

Friday 4/20: Nobscot had a sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, couple towhees, etc.

Saturday 4/21: Joined the MBC walk at Horn Pond, which was quiet beyond the kinglets. Drove a bunch of loops around Ipswich not seeing White-faced Ibis. Did run to Gloucester in between and had a sapsucker and Merlin.

Sunday 4/22: Looped Hanscom which wasn’t too bad. First Sharpie for Bedford plus 4 or more kestrels, a meadowlark (singing just slightly out of place which had me baffled for a minute), lots of Hermit Thrushes, etc. Full loop of Great Meadows had a loon (first one I’ve had on the water there I think), PB Grebe, and plenty of the usual. Brief run around the duck ponds had FOY Cabbage White. Kinglet singing in the yard early was nice.

Monday 4/23: Field Sparrow, Kestrel, etc at Heard.

Tuesday 4/24: Winter Wren(s), Barn Swallow, Gnatcatcher, Mourning Cloak, not much else new at BBN.

Wednesday 4/11: PB Grebe about it at Forest Grove.

Thursday 4/12: Palm Warblers and Chipping Sparrows were in at BBN and finally got a Fish Crow there.

Friday 4/13: FOY kingfisher and a somewhat surprising gnatcatcher at College Pond.

Saturday 4/14: Chipping Sparrow and little rabbit in the yard. Menotomy walk at BBN had 25-30 Palms, a Pine, a few Yellow-rumps, a sapsucker, 2 GW Teal, a Solitary Sandpiper, and more. Got the BW Teal and Greater Yellowlegs at Arlington Res but no gulls or other shorebirds. More of the same at the duck ponds and nothing at Cambridge Res or Hardy Pond.

Sunday 4/15: Quick res loop had a chickadee and a Hermit Thrush. Palms and a Ring-neck down by Rt. 2 then a Barn Swallow among the Trees at Hobbs Brook. Kestrel by Hanscom, nothing elsewhere.

Monday 4/16: Awful weather. Looped Hardy (nothing), the res (nothing), Mystic Lakes (4 Great Cormorants), Arlington Res (nothing), then went for a haircut and looped the res again. This time 3 Bonaparte’s Gulls dropped in but didn’t stay long enough for anyone else.

Tuesday 4/17: 28 GW Teal, 4+ Snipe, a kestrel, and 18+ Savannah Sparrows at Meriam’s Corner.

Wednesday 4/4: Usual at Arlington Res.

Thursday 4/5: Heard a Pine Warbler (only one) at Prospect Hill plus a Fox Sparrow.

Friday 4/6: FOY Hermit Thrush and Swamp Sparrow at Dunback plus 2 more Fox Sparrows.

Saturday 4/7: Few Tree Swallows, a cormorant, and a phoebe at the res but little on the water. Nothing at Flint’s or Nine Acre. Alewife had a cleanup crew and was quiet. Thorndike Field was quiet too, as was McClennen.

Sunday 4/8: Started in Squantum. Usual birds at Squaw Rock. Got the gannet I wanted and first egrets (both Snowy and Great) at the marshes. Decided to skip Squantum Point and Wollaston and went to Nut Island. Far too windy but there were a few Long-tailed Ducks visible. Went inland from here (picking up Gadwall on Black’s Creek as a driveby), trying Turner’s Pond which didn’t have any of the ducks that had been there the day before. Headed towards home, deciding to stop at Cutler Lake on the way. No luck with the Pine Warbler I expected but did get a creeper. When I started, there was exactly one gull on the water, by the time I was halfway around, it was closer to 100. A bit further down, the bright white of a Glaucous jumped out, and reviewing photos of that, I picked out the Lesser Black-backed that had been around too. Buzz of the res on the way home had 2 Greater Scaup and just short of nothing else.

Monday 4/9: Too windy at Great Meadows. Did hear a Virginia Rail before I bailed for the woods, where I had a Pine Warbler (and a Yellow-rump by the inner parking lot).

Tuesday 4/10: Another Yellow-rump at the Pelham Island Rd swamp. Real surprise was a Cliff Swallow on Heard Pond.

Wednesday 3/28: Great Meadows had the usual. Highlight was actually a Mallard that landed up in the trees next to the tower.

Thursday 3/29: Same at BBN.

Friday 3/30: Phoebe finally at Rock Meadow plus patch FOY Great Blue Heron and Wood Duck. Also some peepers.

Saturday 3/31: Went west. Lots of Common Mergansers and an eagle at Fitchburg Res, Hooded Merganser at Ashby Res. Ruffed Grouse (presumably) flushed on Watatic and probably heard a crossbill. Tree Swallow driving to Townsend State Forest (plus Wood Frogs) which was pretty quiet beyond an Eastern Comma. Phoebe at Townsend Hill WMA. Fish Crow at Fitch’s Bridge, raven,GH Owl nest, and a garter snake at Rocky Hill, larks and several Fish Crows at School St.

Sunday 4/1: Lesser Scaup at the res. Same stupid dog owner at Mill Pond and no obvious ducks so didn’t linger. Osprey, Tree Swallows, Greater Scaup at Horn Pond. No Rough-leg around Hanscom but lots of Tree Swallows. Yellowlegs still at Kaveski. Snipe and Savannah Sparrow at Waltham St and lots of Ruddy at Hardy Pond for 50 species on the day.

Monday 4/2: Tree Swallows, DC Cormorant, usual at Purgatory/Forest Grove.

Tuesday 4/3: Nothing new at BBN.

Wednesday 3/21: 2 Killdeer, 3 Fox Sparrow at BBN.

Thursday 3/22: Yuck morning, nothing at Heard or Nine Acre on the way home.

Friday 3/23: Usual at Arlington Res.

Saturday 3/24: 16+ Iceland Gulls and an interesting molting eider at Deer Island. No oystercatcher at Pico. Gadwall and what was probably a heard-only phoebe at Belle Isle. Greater Scaup and not much else at Winthrop Beach. Red-necked Grebe at Draw Seven.

Sunday 3/25: Nothing at the duck ponds or Concord Ave. Fox Sparrows at Lot 1 and West Meadow.

Monday 3/26: Bufflehead at College Pond was my 100th species there, nothing much else.

Tuesday 3/27: Expected stuff at Heard Farms.

Wednesday 3/7: Merlin was eating something in the same tree at Forest Grove, nothing much else.

Thursday 3/8: Home from the storm. Took a late afternoon walk over to Hardy Pond and had a Great Cormorant.

Friday 3/9: Tried to get the cormorant for the commute year list. No luck but 3 Wood Ducks. Continued to the res where there was another Great so got it anyway. Then got stuck in a maze of roads blocked for downed trees and eventually gave up and backtracked to 128 and straight to work.

Saturday 3/10: Started at Mill Pond in Burlington hoping for a few of the waterfowl that I still need there. Total waterfowl: 8 mallard, 2 Canada Goose. Not much else either. Continued north a bit, eventually ending up at Lake Quannapowitt. Relocated the Red-necked Grebe, couldn’t identify a second grebe, had a Turkey Vulture and 3 Killdeer. Circling around to the other side for the second grebe (never did get a scope view), I found 2 Green-winged Teal. Then drove around a bit more without anything worth noting.

Sunday 3/11: Birder’s Meeting most of the day. Stopped at Carson Beach (Brant and a Merlin) and Castle Island (Purple Sandpiper finally for Suffolk, 200ish Brant). Buzzed a bit of the river (no birds) and the res (a few Ring-necks and Common Mergs).

Monday 3/12: BBN had mostly the usual but a woodcock ran around almost in the open (and more or less posed).

Tuesday 3/13: Tree Sparrow in the yard.

Wednesday 3/14: House/computer issues

Thursday 3/15: Nothing on the riverwalk. Traffic was bad on the way home so cut around the Cambridge Res and was rather surprised by 2 Horned Grebes.

Friday 3/16: Too windy at Great Meadows, did get the screech-owl, surprisingly a new commute bird (215).

Saturday 3/17: Still too windy. Got the Cackling Goose at Nine Acre, Great Cormorants at Spy Pond, and the Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser found by the Swains at Flint’s.

Sunday 3/18: Fox Sparrow at Cutler Lake, nothing at Nahanton, Canvasback, Red-necked Grebe, DC Cormorant at Great Pond.

Monday 3/19: Nothing at Forest Grove.

Tuesday 3/20: Oil change so only a brief check of Norumbega (nothing). Res on the way home had a ton of Common Mergansers but that was about it.