Wednesday 10/10: Dunback was pretty busy, Parula, Redstart, Rusty Blackbird, Red-shoulder, White-crown the best.
Thursday 10/11: Pond loop, very quiet. GW Teal at the Pelham Island Rd swamp the only thing of note.
Friday 10/12: Great Meadows was almost too dark to look at sparrows, but they were pretty much all Swamp. Did have a few GW Teal, 2 Pintail, 2 ravens, a harrier, Merlin, and 3 Cooper’s. Another Merlin landed on Bacon St on the way home.
Saturday 10/13: Started working locally in the rain. Nothing at the res or Spy Pond. Nothing on the Mystic Lakes but a sapsucker and Winter Wren in the wood lot were good. No Dickcissel at Horn Pond but lots of sparrows. Rain wasn’t stopping so I decided not to bother with Mary Cummings and went for the BH Gull/skimmer combo at Wollaston Beach instead. Detoured on the way to Draw Seven, which was quiet (although Savannah Sparrow, junco, and phoebe were all Somerville birds). Once I found the right spot at Wollaston, the two skimmers and the gull were all very obvious. Continued to Castle Island from there. Went around the fort first for some reason and kicked up a bunch of passerines in the trees. Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, a few warblers, a few kinglets, and more. Worked my way over to the causeway but wasn’t seeing much, so went back to the trees, adding BH Vireo, 5 phoebes, and a RB Nuthatch. Did have a banded RB Gull on the railing. Sent in the details and it was the first resight since being banded. At Castle Island in 2013. Not quite as exciting as I hoped. Looped through Norumbega (GW Teal) and back around the res (Common Loon) on the way home.
Sunday 10/14: Started at Hanscom. Targets were RB Nuthatch and Purple Finch. Didn’t get the nuthatch but got a bunch of other Bedford birds including Harrier, GH Owl, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and American Pipit. Went out to Fitch’s Bridge Rd next. Lots of birds, got most of the sparrows I wanted but nothing terribly exciting. Thought about another stop out that way but went to Waltham St instead, which was quiet.
Monday 10/15: Rock Meadow had a Dickcissel (finally) and lots of sparrows.
Tuesday 10/16: Round Hill had a YB Cuckoo (about time I got one considering the big influx).