Fun few hours with Alan Ankers today.
Two shots of Lilypad Clubtail
And the very similar Unicorn Clubtail
Dusky Clubtail
Finishing off a New England Bluet lunch.
Elegant Spreadwing
Category: nature
WIR 5/29-6/4
Wednesday 5/29: Nothing on Hardy or the res.
Thursday 5/30: Great Meadows early, nothing too exciting. Wood Ducklings leaving a box was the best thing. Nothing too exciting at Prospect Hill either.
Friday 5/31: Dusted and Indian Skippers at BBN.
Saturday 6/1: Went exploring in Townsend for a bit. Caught lots and lots of Common Baskettails and had a few other things. Then went and chased a pelican that had apparently flown off half an hour before I started heading that way.
Sunday 6/2: Led a BBC trip to Great Meadows. Highlights were Least Bittern, American Coot, and a Mink stalking several families of Virginia Rail.
(Click through for more photos)
Went to the Carlisle Cranberry Bog after.
Monday 6/3: Orchard Oriole singing at Hardy Pond.
Tuesday 6/4: Usual birds (including ravens) and bugs at Prospect Hill.
Cranberry Bog 6/2
Some highlights:
New England Bluet
Lilypad Clubtail
Lilypad Forktail (male then female)
Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetle
WIR 5/22-5/28
Wednesday 5/22: Went to Rock Meadow and BBN. Good numbers of warblers including a Blackburnian, at least two Black-billed Cuckoos, and a few other things but my main highlight was a singing Alder Flycatcher, which is Waltham #204.
Thursday 5/23: Wandered to Mt. Auburn eventually. Worked for thrushes in the Dell with minimal success, then took a short wander where I found 2 Turkey Vultures in trees. Also an Indigo Bunting and late-ish Yellow-rump but struck out on the Mourning. Quick trip around the Cambridge Res had 2 Common Loons.
Friday 5/24: Quick loop of Prospect Hill had the adult ravens down near the start of the road, a few warblers (BT Green, Parula, Ovenbird were the most interesting), and 4 Indigo Buntings. Nothing on Cambridge Res or Flint’s Pond. Got a little brighter out, so continued to Great Meadows and had a beaver swimming right below the new platform and first Blue Dashers of the year.
Saturday 5/25: Cruised Cambridge Res, Flint’s Pond, Heard Pond, Purgatory Cove, etc without finding anything.
Sunday 5/26: Tried again for storm-blown birds. Lots of swallows including Bank at Heard and Hardy but nothing else of note.
Monday 5/27: Dunback had lots of the usual breeders (including bluebirds) but the only things resembling migrants were Redstarts. Quick stop at Hanscom got meadowlark and a Broad-wing.
Tuesday 5/28: Harvester at the duck ponds. Very good nighthawk show at Great Meadows at dusk but no Cave Swallow.
Yard Listing
End of May and this bird set a new year record for the yard.
WIR 5/15-5/21
Wednesday 5/15: Prospect Hill, checked the view towards Polaroid without much (Rough-winged Swallow was a likely nester though). Quick walk to the water towers added a redstart.
Thursday 5/16: Rock Meadow before work, nothing unexpected. Forest Grove was pretty quiet beyond yet another Magnolia.
Friday 5/17: Spotted Sandpiper at Hardy Pond early. Veery and a few warblers at Paine plus a Stream Cruiser. A late White-throat in the yard was the first bird for birdathon.
Saturday 5/18: Birdathon/MBC big day. Highlights included a Great Egret at the Vine Brook marsh, Sora at Great Meadows, an Upland Sandpiper right next to Virginia Rd, and a late Ruddy on the Cambridge Res. Miscounted slightly and ended the day on 99, would have dug up one more if I had been aware.
Sunday 5/19: Pretty lazy after running around on Saturday. Eventually went to Dunback where I had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, kestrel, Willow Flycatchers, and a handful of warblers.
Monday 5/20: Took some vacation time this week. Started at Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove, where a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was (surprisingly) new for the river for me but little else. I moved on to Nine Acre Corner and watched Barn Swallows gather mud until a Cliff buzzed through. Made a brief stop at Cat Rock Park on the way back, but it was so muggy I gave up quickly (did get first Lancet Clubtail of the season).
Tuesday 5/21: Twitch. Spent some time at Hellcat after and had 11 warblers in the couple of pines just outside the parking lot (including Canada and Cape May) plus a few more elsewhere on the trails.
551
Amazing work by Suzanne Sullivan.
The one standing at the back center does look a bit different but I’m sure 99% of us would have gone right past it.
Bigger breast band, bigger supercilium, longer and more orange bill.
And the toes.
WIR 5/8-5/14
Wednesday 5/8: Nothing exciting at Purgatory Cove (cygnets, few swallows, Great Crested Flycatcher did get me to 100 in Waltham this year).
Thursday 5/9: Rather heavy rain made things difficult (although better at noon than at 11:30 when the fire alarm went off) but Common Loon and some late(ish) ducks (Bufflehead, Ruddy, maybe a Ring-necked) at Cambridge Res.
Friday 5/10: Had to go to the RMV, so took a half day off and started at Mt. Auburn (BT Blue in the yard first actually). Warblers everywhere (12? species, mostly Black-and-white, BT Blue, BT Green, Parula) plus a few other things. After zipping through the line, I stopped at Purgatory Cove and saw nothing beyond a few Fragile Forktails.
Saturday 5/11: Cambridge Res was just about birdless (although a few things singing along the road weren’t bad). North end had 2 Orchard Orioles. Two Broad-wings over Busa but little else at Arlington Res.
Sunday 5/12: Mt. Auburn walk again. Something like 18 warblers including Bay-breasted and Blackburnian plus a hummingbird and Least Flycatcher. Once the rain cleared, I went to Prospect Hill. Fledgling ravens plus BT Blue, BT Green, Magnolia, and Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, and a Painted Lady. The Black Vulture that went over later would have been nice though.
Monday 5/13: Ring-necked Duck still at Hardy Pond, nothing of note at Rock Meadow.
Tuesday 5/14: Lots of birds at BBN, 9 warblers and a few other things. Solitary Sandpiper (finally) at the duck ponds, along with some baby Wood Ducks.
150
Breaking up the WIRs, here’s my 150th bird at the Arlington Res
WIR 5/1-5/7
Wednesday 5/1: Towhee was a third yard record to start the day. Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos all along the Charles plus a Hermit Thrush and a few Yellow-rumps.
Thursday 5/2: Juvenal’s Duskywing and not much else at Hayden Woods, think I can give up on that being a potential boghaunter site.
Friday 5/3: Left the house a couple minutes early and picked up a Common Loon flying over as I stepped out of the door for another new yard bird. Prospect Hill had first tiger swallowtail and whiteface sp (probably Hudsonian).
Saturday 5/4: Plan was to find some boghaunters today. Since it wouldn’t be warm enough early, I headed to Heard Pond to check for birds first. Nothing too exciting (a handful of Rusty Blackbirds, a Parula, etc), so I moved on to the Wayland Community Gardens. A House Wren (one back home too), a Henry’s Elfin, a raccoon, and a Common Yellowthroat made up most of the good stuff here.
Getting warm, so I headed to Assabet River. Ovenbirds and towhees calling all over and a Northern Waterthrush was vocal but hidden. No boghaunters by the end of the Patrol Road, so I took the first wooded trail back. I had a quick view of a Beaverpond (presumably) Baskettail and was debating running to Oxbow as I reached the short trail that cuts back to the road. Halfway down, there was a bit of movement and I quickly saw rings. Wasn’t a great spot for photos, but I think this one came out pretty good:
Back on the road, I worked my way out (and saw a second boghaunter and baskettail and heard another waterthrush).
With no need to go further west, I decided to head to the Charles. Lots of swallows opposite Purgatory Cove and some Fish Crows flew over (finally). A Great Crested Flycatcher and a Gray Catbird were calling near the Knob at Flowed Meadow, but otherwise it was fairly quiet. A Wood Duck apparently at a nest hole was interesting though.
Sunday 5/5: Started with a long walk at BBN. Blue-winged Warbler was in, as were orioles but fairly quiet otherwise. Went to Great Meadows with parents after, nothing exciting but too nice out to complain.
Monday 5/6: Awake early, so I went to Beaver Brook in the fog. Just about nothing there and I have no idea why I went out (although it worked out last time). Duck ponds at lunch had a Rough-winged Swallow and out-of-place Pine Warbler among other things.
Tuesday 5/7: River walk was fairly quiet, single Yellow-rump and Palm were the only nonbreeders.