Category: nature

Wednesday 5/29: Went to Mt. Auburn for the Gray-cheeked. Had just flown off when I got there but Cliff found it a little while later. It buried itself again pretty quickly, then started singing back behind us before eventually coming out in the open (or as open as it gets in the Dell, I was shooting at ISO 16,000 and 20,000). ‘Commute’ #255! Waxwings and a hummingbird walking into the office too.

Thursday  5/30: Too wet, nothing at the res or Mystic Lakes.

Friday 5/31: Couple Orchard Orioles, a few FOY odes and butterflies at Weston Station Pond.

Saturday 6/1: Decided to wait on the Swainson’s and do a Belle Isle run. Started at the greenway where one of the first birds I saw was an Olive-sided. Few warblers in the area. While trying (and failing so far) to track down a song that sounded Mourning-ish, also had Alder, Willow, and Least. Quick loop of the cemetery had nothing much (ibis at all these stops though), then another pass had a second Least. Went to Lewis Lake next where the Bufflehead was around (June bird #1). Winthrop Beach added a couple more June birds (Surf Scoter and Ruddy Turnstone) plus lots of Least Terns, a few Semi Sandpipers, etc. Belle Isle proper had even more ibis, a Saltmarsh Sparrow or two, and a Bobolink. Stopped at Earhart on the way home for RB Merganser. Got two of those plus a Red-throated Loon (June #4).

Sunday 6/2: With no early Swainson’s report, headed to the Blue Hills for another Pygmy Clubtail attempt and to be somewhat on the way if it did appear. Walked from Hillside Pond down to Unquity Bottom, family of creepers the interesting birds. Had a couple spiketails on one of the streams and then a whole bunch in the field. Back at the clubtail stream, I had one land in a dark spot for half a second on my first pass but got one sitting on a fern on the second. Also had a crossbill or two fly over. The pond was pretty quiet.

Continued to Squantum. Glossy Ibis and lots of egrets at the pans, Citrine Forktails, more ibis, and a Marsh Wren at Squantum Point Park.

Monday 6/3: Barred Owl, 5 warblers, etc at BBN.

Tuesday 6/4: YT Vireos and the rest of the usuals at Great Meadows.

Wednesday 5/22: Mostly breeding stuff at BBN, Blackburnian and maybe some redstarts the only real migrants. Bunch of first of year odes and butterflies including Familiar Bluets.

Thursday 5/23: 2 RB Grosbeaks at Cookson, nothing beyond a redstart by the dam.

Friday 5/24: Syrphids made up the excitement at Tanner’s Brook.

Saturday 5/25: Bug day out west. Started at High Ridge where I had FOY Veery and Alder Flycatcher plus a few warblers. Still a bit cool, but a few odes and butterflies about, although nothing of note. Back at the gate, there was a singing Mourning On to Old County Rd. More warblers on the way to the bog, plus a few more expected bugs. Finally got a Broad-wing at the bog along with Elfin Skimmers. Good finches around too including siskins and crossbills flyover over and a singing Purple. Last stop was Mass Audubon’s Lake Wompanoag. Nothing much in the woods. Ran into Tom in the field, watched the kestrel flying around a bit while telling him about the Mourning (apparently rarer than I realized out there). Silvery Blues all over but not much else. Gave a very quick stop back at Smith St, mostly to see if Tom had any luck. He and Eric didn’t, so home.

And actually the day began with 2(!) yard birds, a Pileated calling (presumably seen flying over the 128 ramp on my way out) and a Wood Thrush half singing.

Sunday 5/26: Pouring when I got up to lead a Great Meadows walk, still pouring when I started driving, but it was done and nice by the time we actually started. Virginia Rail, Sora, and Mourning Warbler plus 5 water snakes together were highlights. Went to Two Rod Rd for boghaunters after. No luck with those, but an Acadian was singing and very occasionally showing. Not first time I’ve made that trade.

Monday 5/27: Started at Great Meadows hoping the weather would put some shorebirds down (or down enough), but strong northeast winds probably ruined that. Pretty quiet, although a beaver on the trail was impressive and Hooded Merganser and a couple others things we missed yesterday were around. Went to the Raymond Reservation next. Usual stuff except for a Glossy Ibis. Did the state forest in Hudson, in mist and mosquitos next. Got 16 of the 25 birds I wanted to hit 50, which wasn’t too bad. Need to find some different habitat from here though.

Tuesday 5/28: Dunback had an Alder but not much else.

Wednesday 5/8: Mostly beat the rain at BBN. Did the marsh loop instead of the hill. Pewee singing was nice, then an interesting trill at the back, which proved to be a Worm-eating Warbler! Nice to get that here finally (patch 189 or 190 depending on pheasant countability) and also a new ‘commute’ bird (253). Rain picked up, so I ran around the res and a RT Loon was in the open.

Thursday 5/9: Got out to Estabrook. Lot of song early but nothing exciting. No waterthrushes on the Loop Trail but a Blackburnian was singing, somehow new for me in Concord. Three crossbills on the way back, sounded a bit different. That took a bit of time, so had to rush a bit, but another Blackburnian, a Canada, and more near the entrance.

Friday 5/10: Arlington Res had no mud but the same swallows, a Blackpoll, a Wilson’s, a Tennessee, and a few other things. Loon still on the res but no Ruddy at Hardy.

Saturday 5/11: MBC Big Day. Cool and windy, only managed 96. Another Worm-eating was the highlight, along with 2 Bay-breasted, PB Grebe, snipe, etc.

Sunday 5/12: Bit of a lazy day. Made it to McLaughlin Woods around 9. Bit slow to get going but eventually had a Cape May and then the Chestnut-sided I still needed for Suffolk. Second pass had a bunch of Ovenbirds as did the Iroquois St woods. Went to D. Blakely Hoar after and didn’t find much, then went home and napped.

Monday 5/13: Prospect Hill was birdy, although as always in the furthest spot so hard to sort through everything. Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Swainson’s Thrush, pewee, etc.

Tuesday 5/14: Ovenbird and RB Grosbeak in the yard. Went to BBN, walked about 10 feet and got a message from Kathy about a Kentucky at Minuteman. Lily said it was fairly quiet anyway, so we ran right over and eventually got decent looks (‘commute’ 254!).

Wednesday 5/1: Forest Grove had a Marsh Wren (patch bird!) plus Black-and-white, BT Green, RB Grosbeak, etc. GC Flycatcher at Purgatory.

Thursday 5/2: No Prothonotary at Mt. Auburn. Was pretty busy for the first 20 minutes or so, mostly Yellow-rumps, Nashvilles, and Parulas, then quieted down. Worked the front ponds, then across the Dell and around the tower. Heard an odd flickerish call cutting back through the Dell on the way to the Dry Dell, ignored it, then saw Jeremiah almost running that way. Ran back but the Pileated was moving off (lucky Bob!). Didn’t have time for the Dry Dell after that, unfortunately since it was apparently pretty busy again.

Friday 5/3: Cloudy conditions are perfect for Arlington Res. Started with a Greater Yellowlegs along the farm edge, then a Solitary at the front and 2 Least off the berm. Eventually dug 2 Bank Swallows out of the masses. Made a brief stop at Purgatory in the afternoon, Palm the most interesting.

Saturday 5/4: Did the Winthrop run I had planned last weekend. Started at Deer Island. Not much for migrants, BT Green, Yellow-rump, Merlin about it on land. Black Scoter was surprisingly new for me in May. Good numbers of other ducks still along with a bunch of loons. A flock of Common Terns on the way out were new for the year. Winthrop Beach next. Black-bellied Plover landed on the sisters and a flock of sandpipers were moving around. Thought they were Dunlin but the wing stripe looked a bit odd. They eventually landed and looked better for Purple Sandpiper, so I ran back to get the scope and counted 80(!). Also had a kestrel fly over. Belle Isle Cemetery next, no sign of yesterday’s Ruff but a few yellowlegs, FOY Snowy Egret, and a few other things. Gave Lawn Ave a quick check too, lots of teal, FOY Willet, more shorebirds. Decided to stop at Earhart, but had to drive around a bit finding a gas station. At Earhart, I got the RB Mergs for May in the county and Common Terns were back here too. No herons of any sort though and didn’t take time to check Gateway.

Sunday 5/5: Mt. Auburn round two. Pretty dark. Waterthrush and Night Heron at Halcyon, tanager near the Dell, not too much else. Allandale Woods after, no Pileated but a couple hummers and some more warblers. Gave Chestnut Hill a quick stop too, Savannah the most interesting.

Monday 5/6: Dunback had FOY Blue-winged and yellowthroats plus county FOY Wood Thrush and hummer. Still at Ruddy at Hardy.

Tuesday 5/7: Gnatcatcher, parula, Spotted/Solitary at Cookson. Three RB Mergs still at the square plus an Ovenbird and waterthrush.

Wednesday 4/24: Bunch of yellowlegs and some Spotted Sandpipers at Nine Acre. Traffic was lousy, ended up at Heard where a kingbird was the main highlight.

Thursday 4/25: Estabrook had tons of kinglets and goldfinches plus a BH Vireo and Black-and-white.

Friday 4/26: House Wrens were the only addition at Hartwell. Towhee at Flint’s but nothing on the water.

Saturday 4/27: Plans for a Boston swing were ruined by the Swallow-tailed Kites hanging around Rehoboth yesterday. Probably should have birded elsewhere first given the times they’ve been seen, but was at the War Memorial before 9. Took a couple hours but eventually got one, then two, then one right over us, so well worth it. Also a few martins, a gnatcatcher, lots of other raptors, etc. Went to Caratunk after, FOY Six-spotted Tiger Beetle and a Mink plus Pine Warbler which I still needed in Bristol.

Sunday 4/28: Had a Bird Observer thing, so did some Norfolk birding on the way. Started at Lowell Woods where the Louisiana Waterthrush (county bird) was singing. Also a Wood Thrush, Winter Wren, big flock of goldfinches, etc. Charles River Peninsula next. Kestrel, Yellow Warbler, few other things. Saw the Summer Tanager report and Nahanton and had a bit of time, so ran over that way. Fortunately, it was showing as I walked up, which meant I had a few minutes with it and was still about the first person to arrive.

Monday 4/29: BBN had a couple orioles, a bunch of FOY warblers, Chimney Swifts, 2 Hoodies, etc.

Tuesday 4/30: Quick check of the res had nothing put down by the rain overnight. Great Meadows had most of the usual, Yellow Warbler, gnatcatcher, Warbling Vireo all FOY commute birds.

Wednesday 4/17: School vacation week meant Waltham St. was easy to reach at 8 in the morning, so went over there for snipe. Bunch of Savannahs moving around the fields to start. At the back, a Brown Thrasher was singing. Eventually kicked one snipe out from the front, although it didn’t cooperate. Walking out, a meadowlark flew across the field, second new species for me there today. Still had a decent bit of time, so I walked the playing fields at Dunback, adding bluebird and a few other things of minimal interest. Quick stop at Hardy had 5 Ring-necks and over 20 Ruddy.

Thursday 4/18: Nothing much at Cookson. Three Night Herons near the square were ‘commute’ #100 for the year.

Friday 4/19: Barn Swallow, bunch of Yellow-rumps, few Palms at Arlington Res. Nothing new at the res or Hardy.

Saturday 4/20: Waited out the rain (raven chased by crows around the neighborhood), then started at the res. Thought four ducks were all mergansers, but scoped and found a Ruddy and a Horned Grebe. Mergansers didn’t raise their heads but looked more like Red-breasted. The RT Loons were around too and I found an awake Red-breasted Merganser looking way back.

Buzzed through Nine Acre (3 ibis still, didn’t check for much else), then went to Heard Pond. Walking down past the boat ramp, I had FOY gnatcatcher and a bunch of Yellow-rumps. Trail through Griscom Woods was fairly quiet and the bridge was not in good shape. Quick scan at the end had nothing, I turned around to leave and heard a noise, so turned back. A bittern was flying off! Watched it drop back in, then did a bit more of the road.

Had to grab something in Watertown from there, so stopped east of the square and saw very little.

Sunday 4/21: First Mt. Auburn walk of the year. Fairly quiet, but helped by a foreign visitor who enjoyed everything and the group’s interest in showing everything. Ran over to Earhart after, no night herons or much of note. Gave the western view at Prospect Hill close to an hour, a few Red-tails and vultures, one Cooper’s, and one Buteo that didn’t strike me as a Red-tail.

Monday 4/22: Usual at Weston Station Pond, singing Field Sparrow, lots of swallows, good number of Yellow-rumps and Palms.

Tuesday 4/23: Seven(!) Great Blues and a BC Night Heron at Falzone. Land birds were more limited, nothing particularly of note.

Wednesday 4/10: Nothing much at Dunback.

Thursday 4/11: No waxwings at Mt. Auburn, mostly just robins, juncos, blackbirds, Chipping Sparrows, jays.

Friday 4/12: Too nasty in the morning. Osprey at Nine Acre midafternoon, nothing at the res.

Saturday 4/13: Finally had some obvious snipe at Nine Acre. Stood at the Water Row overlook for an hour and a half. Not a ton moving but 4 Ospreys, 2 eagles, a Sharpie, a few Yellow-rumps, FOY Barn Swallow, a harrier, and a couple Red Crossbills were decent. Started for Heard Pond but Pelham Island Rd was blocked(?), so pulled in at the town building (Savannah) to figure out what next. Scrolling a map around, Sudbury Reservoir popped up, so I headed up 126. Passing Cochituate, a flock of odd-looking birds flew over. I was able to pull into the Avalon complex and eventually chase them down to confirm 15 Glossy Ibis! Continued to Sudbury Res where I walked quite a bit and didn’t find much. Buzz of the res on the way home had a Pied-billed Grebe.

Sunday 4/14: Was thinking about a trip to Tewksbury anyway and the Bohemians made that an easy decision. Started at the Pinnacle Trail I explored a bit last January. Decent bit along there including a kestrel, beaver, and more. Waxwings were on show right along the road (unfortunately, also moderately into the sun). Took a swing to where some had been reported in Methuen after but the last report was about a week ago and no luck there. Couple RT Loons on the res on the way home.

Monday 4/15: Realized I still needed Louisiana Waterthrush for Essex county, so went up to Crooked Pond. Tried looping around and couldn’t find a way, but did get BH Vireo, a crossbill, a Red-shoulder (also a need somehow), and lots of creepers. Back at the start, I went around the beaver dam and promptly heard the bird sing. Gave Audubon Rd a quick check after, nothing terribly exciting, Fish Crow, Carolina Wren, and Swamp Sparrow all new for Wakefield. Saw that the Blue Grosbeak at Millennium had been seen earlier and decided to run down. Got there and found a string of messages about how it hadn’t been seen because of paving work in the parking lot. I parked at the far end and looped around figuring if it wasn’t there, it was nearby. Nothing too much on the way, adult eagle about it. Got to the actual parking lot and the grosbeak was sitting right there. Really nice fully blue one too. Went back along the top and watched for raptors for a bit. Not the hoped for but unlikely Broad-wing, but a Red-shoulder, couple Cooper’s, couple vultures, another eagle, and a flock of cormorants weren’t bad. Ran out midafternoon for Simon’s ibis.

Tuesday 4/16: More or less the same stuff at BBN, vulture, Pine Warbler (not near any pines) the most interesting. First Syrphid of the year too, presuming Eristalis dimidiata.

Wednesday 4/3: Wasn’t terribly nice at Weston Station Pond, where the herons were all cowering down on their nests. Did have 5 Rough-winged Swallows, a Field Sparrow, and a few other things. Nothing obvious on the res on a quick drive by.

Thursday 4/4: Yuck

Friday 4/5: Sapsucker among the usual at Arlington Res. Tree Swallows the only interest at Cambridge Res.

Saturday 4/6: Planned on some Norfolk month listing, but started at the res where there were two Red-throated Loons and a Red-necked Grebe. Figured I should stop at Nahanton on the way by and grab the White-crown for the month. Eventually succeeded, unfortunately after Glenn had moved on. Also sapsucker and Field Sparrow. Finally made it to Great Pond, where it was windy and not terribly nice. Water wasn’t overly busy either, 4 loons, a few Ruddies, Common Mergansers, and Bufflehead about it. Did get 7 month birds at least.

Sunday 4/7: Eagle in the fields at Nine Acre was a good start. Tried the Marlboro-Sudbury State Forest in Hudson and got the town list to 25 including Pileated, Red Crossbill, siskin, and a few other things. Estabrook next, more crossbills. Enough Bohemian reports around that I figured I better check Moody St, which had none. Looped the res and the office parks, with 2 RN Grebes being the highlight (plus a random pheasant in one of the driveways).

Monday 4/8: Robins, robins, and more robins at Meriam’s.

Tuesday 4/9: The early spring stuff finally arrived at BBN. Started with a kestrel, then some Palms, a Yellow-rump, and eventually a Chipping Sparrow. Also the usual ducks, a raven, and FOY Mourning Cloak.