WIR 1/26/-2/5

A week and a half this time as next week will be very different.

Tuesday 1/26: Beaver Brook ponds were flooded but had 2 Hooded Mergansers and a few American Black Ducks.

Wednesday 1/27: Charles, refound the Lesser Scaup and finally had a goldeneye for the year but very quiet otherwise. Not a single gull! Also had at least 25 Mallards buzzing around the neighborhood after sunset.

Thursday 1/28: Nothing of note.

Friday 1/29: Freezing cold but hit Lyman Pond quickly. It was frozen.

Saturday 1/30: Still freezing but checked Dunback briefly. Creeper and not much else.

Sunday 1/31: Plum with MBC. Snowy Owl (even further than last time), Rough-legged Hawk, Horned Lark, Bald Eagle, and lots and lots of ice and wind.

Monday 2/1: Beaver Brook North, nothing of real note.

Tuesday 2/2: Purgatory Cove: Lesser Black-backed Gull (last year’s bird back?) but no eagles.

Wednesday 2/3: Paine: creeper and not much else.

Thursday 2/4: Moody St, nothing much (no dark-mantled gulls at all)

Friday 2/5: Charles: scaup still around, 1 fish crow calling, fairly quiet otherwise.

WIR 1/19

Tuesday 1/19: Still snowing, stayed in at work.

Wednesday 1/20: Figured the only place with open trails would be Beaver Brook. Nothing other than Mallards that wouldn’t be in the yard right now (and not the 50 red-wings that flew over the yard in the morning).

Thursday 1/21: Charles by Moody St. Few Common Mergansers, nothing interesting among the gulls.

Friday 1/22: Duck ponds, 4 hoodies in with the mallards.

Saturday 1/23: Went to Cape Ann with my parents and a friend. Most of the usual stuff, missed King Eider and a few of the gulls. Did get 2 Peregrines on the tower, many Harlequins, and 2 Iceland Gulls including this adult:

Iceland

Sunday 1/24: Stayed in. Great Black-backed Gull was yard bird #26 for the year, lots and lots of the usual stuff in very quick waves.

Monday 1/25: Raining. Quick check of Hardy Pond had a few gulls and some mallards flying around. Did have 6 Red-wings fly over at work.

WIR 1/12-1/18

Tuesday 1/12: Checked the duck pond. Bunch of mallards, 1 hairy, not much else in 15 minutes.

Wednesday 1/13: Charles, more of the same plus 5 Fish Crows.

Thursday 1/14: Paine, nothing different.

Friday 1/15: Beaver Brook North, nothing different.

Saturday 1/16: Took a long walk to Lot 1 and then the West Meadow. Two red-wings at Lot 1 were the highlight, although lots of regular stuff.

Sunday 1/17: Checked Rock Meadow in the morning, 2 bluebirds, 2 Carolina Wrens, lots of regular stuff. Led the Waltham Land Trust duck walk along the Charles in the afternoon. All the regular stuff (minus the goldeneye) were there and a Lesser Scaup was a very nice surprise. A big crowd as well.

Scaup

Monday 1/18: Snowed, stayed in taking photos (see next post).

WIR 1/5-1/11

Tuesday 1/5: Kestrel on the way to work. Charles again at lunch. Carolina Wren and Hairy were about the only things different.

Wednesday 1/6: Cooper’s keeping everything down in the yard before work. Paine at lunch: red-belly, creeper. Sharpie in one of the trees in the courtyard at work.

Thursday 1/7: Charles at Moody St: one tagged gull. Charles at Elm St: nothing different.

Friday 1/8: Waverly Oaks Marsh had nothing so did a quick Screech-Owl run.

Saturday 1/9: Charles again and again nothing different. The Common Merganser below did pose nicely at least. Also had 19 species in the yard.

Merganser Preening

And stretching

Sunday 1/10: Pretty much stayed in, quick check for the ravens late in the afternoon (mostly to show someone where they are, saw nothing on the ride).

Monday 1/11: Beaver Brook North: Flicker, 2 Tree Sparrows, Red-belly. New Beaver Brook/Rock Meadow Patch page

WIR 12/29-1/4

Tuesday 12/29: Too cold to go out, plus free lunch at work so no reason to go out.

Wednesday 12/30: Beaver Brook Ponds: Kingfisher (don’t understand, the Charles is totally open and there’s no kingfishers but I’ve found two in the last few days in spots that I could leap over the open water).

Thursday 12/31: Took a quick trip over to the Mystic Lakes (for Great Cormorant and eagles). Not a whole lot there, a quick walk at Sandy Beach had 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a few hoodies, and a red-wing or two. Saw some ducks on the river at the other rotary on the way home, so pulled in and stopped for a minute. More hoodies and a Ring-neck among the mallards and swans. Started snowing then, but decided to stop at Dunback anyway. Snow was much worse there and I gave up after a brief search of the pines. Only thing of note was a big flock of White-throats foraging about 15 feet up in the pines.

Friday 1/1: Goldfinch for bird #1. Did the BBC trip, Laura’s report is up. Highlights: Ipswich Sparrow, Snowy Owl, Glaucous Gull, flock of Razorbills.

Saturday 1/2: Basically snowed in but ran out for a few minutes after hearing that a raven was on the deer carcass at the Cambridge Res. Took a bit of searching to find the carcass, but the bird was still there (no spot to stop though so no pictures).

Sunday 1/3: Snowed in again, nothing different for the yard but enough to be entertaining.

Monday 1/4: Charles at lunch for the Barrow’s Goldeneye that has reappeared. No goldeneye at all but 2 swans, 7 ring-necks, and a few Hooded and Common Mergansers made it a worthwhile trip.

Waltham Winter List 2009

Once again, taking an idea from the Canadians, here’s a December-February list for Waltham. Dates and locations are the first sighting. Birds in bold are my first Dec-Feb sighting in Waltham.

2007-2008

2008-2009

The List:

  1. Canada Goose (12/2, yard)
  2. Mute Swan (12/5, HP)
  3. Wood Duck (12/13, Purgatory Cove)
  4. American Wigeon (12/5, HP)
  5. American Black Duck (12/13, Purgatory Cove)
  6. Mallard (12/5, HP)
  7. Green-winged Teal (12/5, HP)
  8. Ring-necked Duck (12/19, Charles)
  9. Lesser Scaup (1/17, Charles)
  10. Common Goldeneye (12/23, Charles)
  11. Hooded Merganser (12/5, HP)
  12. Common Merganser (12/5, HP)
  13. Double-crested Cormorant (12/10, Lyman Pond)
  14. Great Blue Heron (12/5, HP)
  15. Turkey Vulture (2/20, Charlesbank)
  16. Bald Eagle (12/18, Purgatory Cove)
  17. Sharp-shinned Hawk (12/13, yard)
  18. Cooper’s Hawk (12/6, yard)
  19. Red-tailed Hawk (12/8, Lexington St)
  20. American Kestrel (12/26, Lot 1)
  21. American Coot (12/13, Charlesbank)
  22. Ring-billed Gull (12/1, WHS)
  23. Herring Gull (12/5, HP)
  24. Lesser Black-backed Gull (2/2, Purgatory Cove)
  25. Great Black-backed Gull (12/5, HP)
  26. Rock Pigeon (12/4, WHS)
  27. Mourning Dove (12/1, Paine)
  28. Eastern Screech-Owl (1/8)
  29. Great Horned Owl (12/4, Miriam)
  30. Belted Kingfisher (12/5, HP)
  31. Red-bellied Woodpecker (12/2, WHS)
  32. Downy Woodpecker (12/1, yard)
  33. Hairy Woodpecker (12/4, Beaver Brook North)
  34. Northern Flicker (12/18, Purgatory Cove)
  35. Blue Jay (12/1)
  36. American Crow (12/1, yard)
  37. Fish Crow (1/13, Charles)
  38. Common Raven (1/2, Cambridge Res)
  39. Black-capped Chickadee (12/1, Paine)
  40. Tufted Titmouse (12/1, Paine)
  41. Red-breasted Nuthatch (12/7, Paine)
  42. White-breasted Nuthatch (12/1, Paine)
  43. Brown Creeper (12/7, Paine)
  44. Carolina Wren (12/13, Purgatory Cove)
  45. Winter Wren (12/25, Lot 1)
  46. Golden-crowned Kinglet (12/1, Paine)
  47. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2/19, Lot 1)
  48. American Robin (12/1, yard)
  49. Northern Mockingbird (12/2, yard)
  50. European Starling (12/2, yard)
  51. Cedar Waxwing (12/14, Lot 1)
  52. American Tree Sparrow (12/18, Beaver Brook North)
  53. Chipping Sparrow (12/19, Gore Place)
  54. Song Sparrow (12/8, Charles)
  55. White-throated Sparrow (12/1, yard)
  56. Dark-eyed Junco (12/1, yard)
  57. Northern Cardinal (12/1, yard)
  58. Red-winged Blackbird (12/2, WHS)
  59. Common Grackle (12/14, Lot 1)
  60. Common Chaffinch (12/1, yard)
  61. House Finch (12/5, yard)
  62. American Goldfinch (12/2, yard)
  63. House Sparrow (12/1, yard)
  64. Can’t say yet

Big misses: Barrow’s Goldeneye, Tufted Duck

Cumulative total: 86

And new this year:

  1. Autumn Meadowhawk (12/4, Beaver Brook North)

Waltham 2009

Once again, here’s lists for the year. Bold is yard, italics is new to Waltham.

Birds

  1. Canada Goose (1/2, Charles)
  2. Mute Swan (1/2, Charles)
  3. Wood Duck (3/30, Leitha)
  4. American Wigeon (3/15, yard/HP)
  5. American Black Duck (1/2, Charles)
  6. Mallard (1/2, Charles)
  7. Green-winged Teal (12/5, Hardy Pond)
  8. Northern Shoveler (10/9, Hardy Pond)
  9. Ring-necked Duck (1/2, Charles)
  10. Black Scoter (10/24, Cambridge Res)
  11. Bufflehead (2/15, Charles)
  12. Common Goldeneye (1/2, Charles)
  13. Barrow’s Goldeneye (1/2, Charles)
  14. Hooded Merganser (1/2, Charles)
  15. Common Merganser (1/2, Charles)
  16. Ruddy Duck (4/3, Hardy Pond)
  17. Wild Turkey (4/15, Met State)
  18. Pied-billed Grebe (10/13, Purgatory Cove)
  19. Red-necked Grebe (11/1, Cambridge Res)
  20. Double-crested Cormorant (4/19, Charles)
  21. Great Blue Heron (1/2, Charles)
  22. Great Egret (8/11, Trapelo & 128)
  23. Green Heron (6/25, yard)
  24. Turkey Vulture (3/27, Prospect Hill)
  25. Osprey (4/5, Bentley)
  26. Sharp-shinned Hawk (2/22, Leitha)
  27. Cooper’s Hawk (1/3, yard)
  28. Red-tailed Hawk (1/2, Met State)
  29. American Kestrel (10/19, Leitha)
  30. American Coot (1/26, Charles)
  31. Killdeer (3/26, UMass Field Station)
  32. Spotted Sandpiper (6/2, Waverly Oaks Marsh)
  33. Solitary Sandpiper (5/10, Met State)
  34. American Woodcock (3/18, Lot 1)
  35. Ring-billed Gull (1/2, Lexington St)
  36. Herring Gull (1/2, Charles)
  37. Iceland Gull (2/16, Charles)
  38. Lesser Black-backed Gull (2/25, Charles)
  39. Great Black-backed Gull (1/26, Charles)
  40. Rock Pigeon (1/2, Main St)
  41. Mourning Dove (1/2, yard)
  42. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (5/12, Met State)
  43. Eastern Screech-Owl (2/13)
  44. Great Horned Owl (1/2, Met State)
  45. Barred Owl (10/22, Prospect Hill)
  46. Common Nighthawk (8/20, Trapelo)
  47. Chimney Swift (5/4, Beaver Brook)
  48. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (9/1, Paine)
  49. Belted Kingfisher (8/18, Hardy Pond)
  50. Red-bellied Woodpecker (1/2, yard)
  51. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (10/12, Met State)
  52. Downy Woodpecker (1/1, yard)
  53. Hairy Woodpecker (2/8, Met State)
  54. Pileated Woodpecker (kinda new) (8/31, Prospect Hill)
  55. Northern Flicker (1/21, Paine)
  56. Eastern Wood-Pewee (5/22, Met State)
  57. Least Flycatcher (9/1, Paine)
  58. Willow Flycatcher (6/2, Waverly Oaks Marsh)
  59. Eastern Phoebe (3/27, Prospect Hill)
  60. Great Crested Flycatcher (4/30, Prospect Hill)
  61. Eastern Kingbird (4/29, Beaver Brook)
  62. Blue-headed Vireo (4/27, Beaver Brook)
  63. Warbling Vireo (5/7, Hardy Pond)
  64. Red-eyed Vireo (5/10, Met State)
  65. Blue Jay (1/2, Met State)
  66. American Crow (1/3, yard)
  67. Fish Crow (4/25, yard)
  68. Common Raven (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  69. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (4/19, Charles)
  70. Tree Swallow (4/11, Hardy Pond)
  71. Barn Swallow (5/7, Hardy Pond)
  72. Black-capped Chickadee (1/1, yard)
  73. Tufted Titmouse (1/2, Met State)
  74. White-breasted Nuthatch (1/1, yard)
  75. Red-breasted Nuthatch (11/16, Prospect Hill)
  76. Brown Creeper (1/2, Met State)
  77. Carolina Wren (1/2, yard)
  78. House Wren (4/28, Met State)
  79. Winter Wren (3/15, Met State)
  80. Golden-crowned Kinglet (1/8, Prospect Hill)
  81. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (4/18, Met State)
  82. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (4/30, Prospect Hill)
  83. Eastern Bluebird (11/1, Cambridge Res)
  84. Swainson’s Thrush (5/10, Met State)
  85. Hermit Thrush (4/18, Met State)
  86. Wood Thrush (5/10, Met State)
  87. American Robin (1/2, streets)
  88. Gray Catbird (4/28, Met State)
  89. Northern Mockingbird (1/1, yard)
  90. Brown Thrasher (4/28, Met State)
  91. European Starling (1/2, streets)
  92. Cedar Waxwing (2/16, Charles)
  93. Blue-winged Warbler (5/12, Met State)
  94. Tennessee Warbler (5/12, Met State)
  95. Nashville Warbler (4/28, Met State)
  96. Northern Parula (4/28, Met State)
  97. Yellow Warbler (5/4, Beaver Brook)
  98. Chestnut-sided Warbler (5/2, Paine)
  99. Magnolia Warbler (5/19, Paine)
  100. Cape May Warbler (10/1, Prospect Hill)
  101. Black-throated Blue Warbler (5/3, Paine)
  102. Yellow-rumped Warbler (4/29, Beaver Brook)
  103. Black-throated Green Warbler (4/30, Prospect Hill)
  104. Blackburnian Warbler (5/12, Met State)
  105. Pine Warbler (4/15, Paine)
  106. Prairie Warbler (9/1, Met State)
  107. Palm Warbler (4/18, Met State)
  108. Blackpoll Warbler (5/19, Paine)
  109. Black-and-white Warbler (4/28, Met State)
  110. American Redstart (5/11, Prospect Hill)
  111. Worm-eating Warbler (5/25)
  112. Ovenbird (5/2, Paine)
  113. Northern Waterthrush (5/8, Beaver Brook)
  114. Common Yellowthroat (5/6, Leitha)
  115. Hooded Warbler (5/14, Prospect Hill)
  116. Wilson’s Warbler (5/12, Met State)
  117. Scarlet Tanager (5/8, Prospect Hill)
  118. Eastern Towhee (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  119. American Tree Sparrow (1/1, yard)
  120. Field Sparrow (4/14, Met State)
  121. Chipping Sparrow (4/15, Paine)
  122. Savannah Sparrow (4/24, Beaver Brook)
  123. Song Sparrow (1/2, yard)
  124. Lincoln’s Sparrow (10/12, Met State)
  125. Swamp Sparrow (4/18, Met State)
  126. White-throated Sparrow (1/2, yard)
  127. Dark-eyed Junco (1/2, yard)
  128. Northern Cardinal (1/1, yard)
  129. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (4/28, Met State)
  130. Indigo Bunting (5/12, Met State)
  131. Bobolink (9/25, Met State)
  132. Red-winged Blackbird (2/15, Charles)
  133. Brown-headed Cowbird (3/28, Paine)
  134. Common Grackle (2/22, yard)
  135. Baltimore Oriole (4/27, Leitha)
  136. House Finch (1/1, yard)
  137. White-winged Crossbill (2/8, Met State)
  138. Pine Siskin (3/22, Paine)
  139. American Goldfinch (1/1, yard)
  140. House Sparrow (1/1, yard)

(56 yard, 1 missing from total for now)

Mammals

  1. Opossum (2/28, yard)
  2. Coyote (1/5, yard)
  3. Gray Squirrel (1/2, yard)
  4. Eastern Chipmunk (2/25, yard)
  5. Eastern Cottontail (1/31 (actually earlier), yard)
  6. White-tailed Deer (2/14, Cambridge Res)

Butterflies

  1. Silver-spotted Skipper (Epagyreus clarus) (5/22, Met State)
  2. Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) (6/20, Prospect Hill)
  3. Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  4. Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) (5/21, Met State)
  5. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) (5/2, Paine)
  6. Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
  7. Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) (7/3, yard)
  8. European Skipper (6/20, Prospect Hill)
  9. Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea) (5/10, Met State)
  10. Indian Skipper (Hespeia sassacus) (6/1, Met State)
  11. Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  12. Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles) (8/15, yard)
  13. Northern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia egremet) (7/20, Prospect Hill)
  14. Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) (7/5, Paine)
  15. Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok) (5/22, Met State)
  16. Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  17. Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
  18. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
  19. Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) (5/12, Paine)
  20. Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) (4/28, Paine)
  21. Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) (5/26, UMass)
  22. Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) (4/17, Bentley)
  23. American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) (5/12, Paine)
  24. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) (7/5, Paine)
  25. Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) (5/1, Prospect Hill)
  26. Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
  27. Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) (5/10, Met State)
  28. Cherry Gall Azure (Celastrina serotina) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
  29. Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) (7/5, Paine)
  30. Monarch (Danaus plexippus) (6/3, Charles)
  31. Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) (6/1, Met State)
  32. Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  33. American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) (4/28, Met State)
  34. Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) (7/23, Paine)
  35. Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) (3/17, Met State)
  36. Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) (4/5, Paine Estate)
  37. Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) (9/23, Prospect Hill)
  38. Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) (5/20, Met State)
  39. Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia inornata) (8/14, Prospect Hill)
  40. Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela) (5/22, Met State)
  41. Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) (7/20, Prospect Hill)

Dragonflies

  1. Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  2. Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis) (6/26, Charles)
  3. Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
  4. Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum) (8/18, Hardy Pond)
  5. Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile) (7/27, yard)
  6. Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) (6/26, Charles)
  7. Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum) (5/22, yard)
  8. Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) (7/5, yard)
  9. Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) (5/20, Met State)
  10. Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) (5/8, yard)
  11. Lilypad Forktail (Ischnura kellicotti) (8/26, Purgatory Cove)
  12. Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) (8/10, Met State)
  13. Green-striped Darner (Aeshna verticalis) (9/18, Met State)
  14. Common Green Darner (Anax junius) (5/2, Paine)
  15. Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata) (5/11, Prospect Hill)
  16. Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
  17. Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
  18. Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps) (7/13, Charles)
  19. Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) (7/27, Paine)
  20. Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) (8/18, Hardy Pond)
  21. Common Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) (7/5, Paine)
  22. Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
  23. Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) (7/28, Charles)
  24. Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) (7/20, Prospect Hill)
  25. Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
  26. Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
  27. Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) (7/5, Paine)
  28. Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) (7/5, Paine)
  29. Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) (8/10, WHS)
  30. Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) (7/5, Paine)
  31. ‘Ruby’ Meadowhawk (Sympetrum rubicundulum/internum, probably internum) (7/5, Paine)
  32. Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) (8/10, Met State)
  33. Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) (8/17, Met State)
  34. Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) (8/18, Hardy Pond)