Slow year, basically no travel.
January: Started with a lot of the lingering rarities but nothing too exciting.
February: Missed the Slaty-back, did get a patch White-front. Subspecies lifer with a Northern Common Eider in Rockport at the end of the month.
March: Another semi-lifer with a Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser hybrid was about it. Bug season started on the 31st with a Comma in Townsend.
April: Early Cliff Swallow on the 10th (which was the only one I managed for the year), a few good gulls in Needham, and ended the month with the Blue Grosbeak at Arlington Res.
May: Got my 200th Suffolk county bird on the 5th, wandered up to NH for Golden-winged Warbler(ish?) on the 20th, and generally had a decent migration. Chased the Trumpeter Swan at the end of the month, only state bird for the year.
June: Went out to Royalston to start the month with Ebony Boghaunters. Did the usual surveys. A few good bugs as well, mostly out west.
July: Patch Lawrence’s Warbler, a nice Bristol county run midmonth, a couple early migrant warbles at the end of the month, and that was about it.
August: Started with the DSA meeting. Got a few target odes (Tiger Spiketail the best) plus a Common Tern. Quiet otherwise.
September: Pretty typical fall migration minus a shorebird show. Three Lesser Black-backs at Great Pond the best.
October: Quiet beyond a couple days on the Cape, which wasn’t overly exciting. Summer Tanager at the end of the month was quite nice.
November: Evening Grosbeaks on patch, Snow and White-fronted Geese at Nine Acre, and that was about it.
December: Quiet start. CBC had more species than before, although redpolls and the Dunback grosbeaks were the only birds of note. Finally chased the Great Black Hawk on the 23rd, lifer #2 for the year. Finished the month with Tufted Duck, Painted Bunting, and a quiet Concord CBC.
Total of 245 species (2 out of state), 205 in county. One state bird (Trumpeter Swan), one county bird (shhh), and two life birds (swan and Great Black Hawk). Still converting bug records from AviSys to Scythebill, so don’t have those handy, but new dragonflies were Ebony Boghaunter, Uhler’s Sundragon, Riverine Clubtail, Tiger Spiketail, Ocellated Darner, and maybe one more. Also finally got Superb Jewelwing for MA, nothing new for the county. No new butterflies anywhere. Mammal highlights were a few porcupines.
Goals for 2019: travel! DSA is in Texas, so that’s planned, hopefully a few other spots as well. Locally, work towards 300 in the 2 towns from the WalLex line area (5 away), and push the state list past 390. Bugwise, find something new.