Category: nature

Wednesday 6/15: Acadian was reported again, so tried Brewster’s Woods again. No luck (might have been calling earlier), but a couple Laphria and a Microdon were nice.

Thursday 6/16: Habitat survey was highlighted by raccoons. Stopped and checked the trail around the marsh on Concord Ave on the way back, there’s now a real bridge across the stream. Wasn’t terribly birdy and the cattails were too high to scan well.

Friday 6/17: RB Nuthatch at Codman while walking to Farm Meadow, which had a few Bobolinks (much of the field has already been mowed, 6 ravens, and a Green Heron. Had time to check Nine Acre for Orchard Oriole but nothing much there.

Saturday 6/18: Tried for Pygmy Clubtails in the Blue Hills. Weather probably wasn’t good enough. Very dark and cloudy when I arrived, so walked a bit away from the stream and got the Pileated and Worm-eating Warbler I needed. Brightened up, so I worked up and down the stream a few times but only found jewelwings and a Swamp Spreadwing. Checked the pond and added Marsh Bluet, then went to a slightly different section, which turned out to be connect pretty quickly. Nothing much there.

Sunday 6/19: Fortunately had canceled the Minuteman survey before the rain. Started at Earhart where there were a few terns and the rest of the usual stuff. Belle Isle cemetery and greenway next, nothing much in the creeks. Wasn’t seeing much over the marsh, so went to Winthrop Beach hoping for Least Tern. No terns there (cold and windy!) but 5+ Piping Plovers and a raven were nice. Went back to Belle Isle proper and got my Saltmarsh Sparrows for the year, but very little else around.

Monday 6/20: Did the survey, usual stuff although not many Ovenbirds and thrushes (season hopefully). Owl flushed between points and there was something sapsuckery calling near there.

Tuesday 6/21: Nothing much at Cookson or along the river.

Wednesday 6/8: Eagle at the res, loons at Flint’s, nothing at Nine Acre or Elm Brook.

Thursday 6/9: Internet issues, 2 ravens on the way to the office were it.

Friday 6/10: Still internet issues, nothing of note at Heard Farm. Thrasher near home later was interesting.

Saturday 6/11: No Acadian or much beyond RB Nuthatches at Brewster’s Woods. Spatterdock Darner and towhees among other things between Foss Farm and the Greenough Land in Carlisle.

Sunday 6/12: Dunback had lots of pollen and the expected birds. Tried for the Mississippi Kite photographed in Sudbury yesterday in the afternoon, no luck unsurprisingly. Couple Osprey nests at least.

Monday 6/13: Finally got the right diagnosis from Verizon but that took up the morning.

Tuesday 6/14: Rock Meadow survey was quiet. Stopped at the West Meadow after, rail running around was nice.

Wednesday 6/1: Brief flight view of a Least Bittern at Great Meadows but no gallinule. Greater Yellowlegs about the only other thing of note.

Thursday 6/2: Rock Meadow survey was quiet beyond GB Herons flying around nonstop. Lots at BBN in a quick walk but nothing exciting.

Friday 6/3: Usual stuff along by Watertown Square. Hairy on a dead stump in the middle of the field at Gore was a bit odd.

Saturday 6/4: Decided to poke around a little bit south. Started at Pod Meadow in Wayland, where I flushed a Pileated almost underfoot and then had a family of creepers. Couldn’t find much else. Continued to a trail on the Framingham side that looked interesting. Was fairly quiet (sun still hadn’t broken through), but picked up 5 targets for Framingham (all fairly common, up to 98 now). Realized Bay-breasted would be a June bird so went to Hanscom after. No luck, not surprising that late in the morning, but did have a couple Harvesters among other things.

Sunday 6/5: Started at McLaughlin Woods where there was a redstart and none of the flycatchers or Mourning Warbler from previous days. Lost Pond and D. Blakely Hoar next, nothing exciting at either. Noticed the flycatchers were reported, so doubled back and got poor views of a Yellow-bellied but no Olive-sided (although the only photos I’ve seen were not an Olive-sided).

Monday 6/6: Tried the Cambridge Turnpike Marshes. No marsh birds but a Barred Owl was being chased around by jays in the woods behind, new bird for Concord! Nothing at Hardy or Flint’s.

Tuesday 6/7: Habitat survey, nothing doing.

Wednesday 5/25: Out to Punkatasset for yesterday’s Hooded Warbler. No luck with that but YB Cuckoo, YT Vireo, and Veery plus a beaver and Spangled Skimmer.

Thursday 5/26: Tanner’s Brook had a woodcock and a few interesting Syrphids plus finally a Pileated for the commute.

Friday 5/27: Broad-wing and some skippers at BBN.

Saturday 5/28: Decided it wasn’t quite rainy enough to do Great Meadows, so went to Millennium. Caught up with the YT Vireo fairly easily, also an egret or 3 and a Virginia Rail. Continued to Stony Brook, which was pretty quiet. Thought about Cutler Park but the lot I wanted was full, so went to Norumbega. Good choice as a Pileated was a long-awaited bird on the Charles. Wish the large swallow gave a better view though.

Sunday 5/29: BBC walk at Great Meadows. No luck with rails or bitterns other than a brief view of a gallinule that took off before I could even say anything. Bunch of hummers, good views of the usual stuff at least. Hobbs Brook was pretty quiet on the way home but a Harlequin Darner was nice. Shade St didn’t have much more, did finally actually see a Red-eyed Vireo.

Monday 5/30: Went out to Westford before meeting people at the Cranberry Bog. Got up to 50 there, Marsh Wrens, Orchard Oriole, Brown Thrasher the best plus Silvery Blue. The bog had lots of odes, Springtime Darner and Marsh Bluet new for me there.

Tuesday 5/31: Weston Station Pond had the usual, couple Pileated the most interesting.

Wednesday 5/18: Cookson was quiet beyond a parula and bunch of Wood Duck. The square had a Least Flycatcher and Canada Warbler (Charles #175!).

Thursday 5/19: Had planned on Mt. Auburn but the drizzle pointed towards Great Meadows (after a check of the empty res). A couple Least Sandpipers were on the path, a Cliff Swallow was around, and 2 Ring-necks were a surprise. Decided that since there was no flow of shorebirds over and I had time to circle around. Alder Flycatcher was calling partway around and while I was waiting for a second round, a thrasher started singing. Surprisingly a new bird for me here and one I didn’t have on my target list. Rest of the walk was fairly quiet.

Friday 5/20: Went to Falzone to look for a reported Summer Tanager. Two days later, so not surprisingly I didn’t find it. A few warblers but not too much else. Did West Meadow too, waterthrush singing was the most interesting there.

Saturday 5/21: Out to Wachusett for the shorebird show. Pretty foggy as I arrived, but a few yellowlegs in close. Walked from gate 39 to 40 where most things had been and waited out the fog a bit. First bird up was a Semipalmated Plover, then a late RB Merganser. Cleared enough to pick out the BB Plovers and Dunlin, then a Black Tern appeared! No luck with the dowitchers, so I eventually worked my way back (thrasher on the way) and then covered some other gates. Very little at 36 and 25, lots of passerines at 8 but too little time to check thoroughly. A few (more?) BB Plovers from there. Also FOY Stream Cruiser and Springtime Darner and a few butterflies.

Sunday 5/22: Went out to Heard. Two YB Cuckoos and 2 Alder Flycatchers about it (well FOY Monarch). Pond had more of the same and a few minutes at Water Row didn’t have a kite.

Monday 5/23: Forest Grove with an idea of Mourning Warbler and thrushes. Decided to start from Comm Ave for a change. Reach the far end of Lyons Field and a Mourning Warbler sings briefly. Good start. Down and around without too much more, but a Swainson’s Thrush popped up behind the tennis court so mission fully accomplished.

Tuesday 5/24: Habitat had another couple Swainson’s Thrushes, a BT Blue, and a few other things of mild interest. Duck pond was still fairly dry but only a Killdeer.

Wednesday 5/11: Lone Tree Hill had a few warblers and what was almost certainly a yellowlegs going over. Checked the duck ponds hoping for that but only had a few Solitary and Killdeer.

Thursday 5/12: BBN added RE Vireo and Wood Thrush for the year but otherwise not much turnover (Prairie Warbler was about it).

Friday 5/13: Next to nothing at Mt. Auburn, should have checked the res instead.

Saturday 5/14: MBC Big Day, pretty slow, maybe 90. Highlight was a Mink at Vine Brook.

Sunday 5/15: Nothing but ravens at the res (which was a miss yesterday). Estabrook had no migrants but several Winter Wrens, 3 Louisiana Waterthrush, etc plus a few forktails, Aurora Damsels, and some whitetails. Nine Acre had less than yesterday but lots of forktails.

Monday 5/16: Finally a decent movement. BBN had 2+ Blackburnians, a Bay-breasted, a few other warblers, a Bobolink, etc.

Tuesday 5/17: Decided to check Nine Acre in case the rain overnight put any shorebirds down, which it didn’t. Couple Spotted and a couple ravens were it for the few seconds I looked. Figured GM HQ was the best spot from there. Fairly quiet there, but a couple Willow Flycatchers were new for the year, plus a Common Baskettail and lots of forktails.

Wednesday 5/4: No shorebirds at Great Meadows but FOY Cliff and Bank Swallows plus a harrier, 2 Osprey, and Hooded Merganser ducklings leaving their boxes.

Thursday 5/5: Vesper Sparrow was still at Upper Vine Brook. Dunback had FOY BT Blue, Ovenbird, Blue-winged, Least Flycatcher, House Wren, and probably more.

Friday 5/6: Went to the Mystic Lakes hoping the Caspian Tern was still around. Started at the south end and had lots of Yellow-rumps, a Least Flycatcher, a few other warblers, etc. Then got the message about the Swainson’s Warbler in the Fells. Ran right over but unfortunately the initial guessed directions were way off. Did have a Louisiana Waterthrush, a Nashville, and a few other things before having to give up and go to work and be taunted the rest of the day.

Saturday 5/7: Stuck around the Fells for a couple hours but no Swainson’s or much else. Swamp Sparrow was new for Winchester, think that’s #70 on all 16 local town lists. Went to Earhart after. Bit too windy but BH Vireo, a few warblers, and 2 Field Sparrows weren’t bad.

Sunday 5/8: Mt. Auburn again, nice manageable group. Couple Prairies, a waterthrush putting on a good show, a Magnolia, and a few others. Hayden Woods after wasn’t too busy but had a few things including a Rusty or two.

Monday 5/9: Finally another in office day, so stopped at Heard Pond on the way over. Felt quiet but still ended up near 50 species including YT Vireo, Sora, 6 Osprey, a couple eagles, 4+ Rusties. Just not a lot of warblers.

Tuesday 5/10: Prospect Hill for the first time in ages, fairly quiet. Res had nothing, and not much at Hardy either.

Wednesday 4/27: Got slightly too nice at Great Meadows as I arrived, although doesn’t look like I missed much. Snipe was about the most interesting, still a Ring-neck and couple teal, plus ‘commute’ year Osprey and Chimney Swift.

Thursday 4/28: FOY Warbling Vireos along the Charles in Watertown, day late and an ibis short though.

Friday 4/29: Usual stuff at Purgatory and Forest Grove.

Saturday 4/30: Started at October Farm. First of spring Black-and-white finally plus a Pileated and a few other things. Brewster’s Woods were about the same (which makes sense since they’re essentially one property). Punkatasset had a pair of Winter Wrens in a brief check. Virginia Rail, couple cormorants, 11 Rusties at Kaveski. No birds at Flint’s on the way home but a bat flew along the edge of the pond.

Sunday 5/1: Did my annual WF Ibis tip (maybe). No obvious birds when I first drove up, so I went to Martin Burns for a loop. FOY RB Grosbeak plus nesting gnatcatcher, azures, Six-spotted Tiger Beetles, and a few others. Went back to the ibis spot and there were a few visible. Nothing but Glossy visible but I noticed a bigger flock off in the distance. Too heat hazy from the road so I walked down the trails a bit and they were super close. Eventually picked out a couple with pink knees, one with a minimal white face, one less so, so 1 hybrid and a White-faced or two hybrids? Also had my first May yard junco before leaving.

Monday 5/2: Expected a good arrival at BBN but other than orioles and a catbird, there wasn’t much. Lots of Yellow-rumps, 1 Yellow, and a Solitary Sandpiper, plus the merganser ‘flock’ was about it.

Tuesday 5/3: FOY kingbird and Spotted Sandpiper at Arlington Res plus first of commute Rough-winged Swallow (finally). More swallows at Hardy Pond.

Wednesday 4/20: Debated the tern at Great Meadows but figured that was long gone (maybe), so went for the Hooded Warbler at Brooks instead. Took half an hour but it flew out eventually. Not too much else beyond kinglets around, but I didn’t have time for more than the pond, lounge, and stump dump.

Thursday 4/21: Hanscom had 9+ kestrels, a bunch of towhees, a thrasher, etc.

Friday 4/22: Got nicer than I expected at Arlington Res so no swallow show. No shorebirds beyond Killdeer either. Did finally get a ‘commute’ Savannah and a few Palms and Yellow-rumps plus Bufflehead and GW Teal. Not much at Hardy or the res either.

Saturday 4/23: No Louisiana Waterthrush at Nobscot but did get FOY BH Vireo plus a few others for the valley. Hop Brook finally had a Pileated and another couple valley year birds. Nothing much in the few feet of the Desert. Pine Elfin and Spring Azure at Assabet plus RB Nuthatch. Stopped at Water Row for a few, Chimney Swift, a few TVs and other raptors, 2 GW Teal, etc.

Sunday 4/24: Mt. Auburn trip was pretty quiet, not helped by a shower and by breaking my key in the gate. Stopped at Fresh Pond after, Greater Scaup and a loon about it. Blair Pond had some work going on behind and nothing.

Monday 4/25: College Pond had FOY Yellow Warbler plus BH Vireo (‘commute’ #100 for the year), gnatcatchers, 2 singing Winter Wrens, and a few others.

Tuesday 4/26: Four Common Mergansers on the res, parula and a bunch of Savannahs at BBN right on the parkway, then next to nothing from there.