WIR 7/31-8/6

Wednesday 7/31: Six Least at Blair Pond, raven, 2 Solitary, 5 Killdeer, 2 Yellow Warbler at the duck ponds, nothing at Hardy.

Thursday 8/1: BC Night Heron was the only different thing at BBN (maybe). Ran back over in the evening for the Little Blue, patch #191/Waltham #227!

Friday 8/2: Little Blue was still at Hobbs Brook, also 2 Great Egrets, Greater Yellowlegs, a couple Orchard Orioles, etc.

Saturday 8/3: Did a Squantum run. Started at Nickerson where a Wood Thrush was the highlight. Also a bunch of redstarts and a gnatcatcher or two. BBC trip was still filling the parking by the marshes, so went to Passanageset and had a few shorebirds, a Saltmarsh Sparrow, and not much else. Back to the marshes (with a quick pull over for Piping Plover), which were quiet. Thought about Earhart on the way home but gave up with traffic and checked the res quickly, seeing nothing.

Sunday 8/4: Lazed around a bit then went to Horn Pond. A few sandpipers, the GW Teal, 2 waterthrushes (one chasing a Least around was baffling for a few seconds), a family of Pine Warblers, etc. Thought about Spot Pond or Belle Isle, but just went to Hobbs Brook. Usual shorebirds but the Little Blue wasn’t around, so went over to the Mill St marsh to see if it was there. It wasn’t, but scanning again on the way back I immediately picked up a Stilt Sandpiper. Nice early record and probably my first adult in the county.

Monday 8/5: Ended up at Meriam’s, redstart the most interesting. Roosting vulture on the way over was nice too. Half a buzz of Hobbs Brook on the way home didn’t have the Stilt though.

Tuesday 8/6: Night Heron or two at Cookson in the rain. Rain was too heavy for the square. Drove through BBN on the way home and got the Great Egret (thanks Lily!).

WIR 7/24-7/30

Wednesday 7/24: Barred Owl, couple Least, few other things at Weston Station Pond. RB Gulls at the res were #90 for the monthly ‘commute’.

Thursday 7/25: Usual at Rock Meadow, 4 Killdeer, 3 Solitary at the duck ponds.

Friday 7/26: Hobbs Brook had a Red-shoulder, Greater Yellow, 3 Solitary, and a few peep.

Saturday 7/27: Did another Worcester county run. Westborough was pretty quiet, couple Least, few Willows, not much else. Gate 8 at Wachusett had a bunch of loons, a Herring Gull, a Red-shoulder, and no Bonaparte’s. Muddy Pond didn’t have much for shorebirds and the gallinule was probably long gone. Stopped at Assabet on the way home but the Little Blue wasn’t around.

Sunday 7/28: Started at Heard Pond. Got soaked walking through the river grasses and didn’t find much of note. Egret by the high school, few shorebirds about it. Raymond Reservation next, more of the same shorebirds, the 2 grebes were still around, and a Northern Waterthrush. Tried the boat launch at Cochituate (gate locked) and Mary Bunker Park for Dusky Dancers with no luck. Pelham Island Rd had similar shorebirds. Had time to check the res before heading home, nothing at the res but a Little Blue and both yellowlegs were at Hobbs Brook.

Monday 7/29: Drove past Hobbs Brook to get the Little Blue for the commute, then stood on the tower at Great Meadows without anything different.

Tuesday 7/30: Finally got Common Tern at the Mystic Lakes (‘commute’ #256!) along with a Big Bluet.

WIR 7/17-7/23

Wednesday 7/17: Broad-winged Skipper at the West Meadow, nothing different at the parkway marsh at BBN.

Thursday 7/18: Peregrine at the landfill by Forest Grove, couple Spotted Sandpipers on the river about it otherwise.

Friday 7/19: Red-shoulder, Solitary, couple other things at College Pond. Would have been nice to have heard the Broad-wingish sound again though.

Saturday 7/20: Started at Deer Island hoping the booby hadn’t gone far. No luck with that (although there was enough heat shimmer that it could have been another 100 yards out and I’d never be able to tell) but 5 Black Scoters, 4 Common Loons, and a few other things were nice. Planned to go to the Fells and look for Acadians next but since the route took me right by Draw Seven, I stopped there first. Ton of Common Terns and an egret on the railings. No luck with Acadian by the time I got there (well after 11). Walked a ways at Spot Pond, probably had a Dusky Dancer and got 3 new Stoneham birds to pass 50 there.

Sunday 7/21: Did inland Suffolk for July birds. Started at Millennium where I had a few raptors, some flycatchers, etc. Cow Island Pond added the missing common waterfowl. Stony Brook had the common forest stuff, only downside was chasing some scolding jays and robins and finding a Cooper’s instead of a Barred. Gave Mill Pond a quick stop but no swallows or ducks to be seen. Quick check of Cambridge Res on the way home had a bunch of Ring-billed Gulls.

Monday 7/22: Same shorebirds at BBN. Went to the back side of the Concord Ave marsh and heard Cliff’s Marsh Wren plus flushed another woodcock.

Tuesday 7/23: Didn’t get much of any rain overnight and nothing was at Great Meadows.

WIR 7/10-7/16

Wednesday 7/10: Nothing much at Weston Station Pond, did the loop around the quarry pond for the first time.

Thursday 7/11: Eagles, Osprey, not much else at Mystic Lakes.

Friday 7/12: Woodcock, Least Sandpipers, etc at BBN.

Saturday 7/13: Original plan was to go check on the Acadians and maybe Belle Isle. That changed with the Brown Booby report. Didn’t rush quite like the Anhinga, but I was up and out on the early side. Couple showers on the way, but it was when I got there and the bird was sitting in the open. Good looks, good crowd. Thanks Laura!

It started pouring as I was about to head out, so figured that was it for the moment, but it had pretty much stopped by the time I reached the pike, so I continued to 30 and cut over to the Raymond Reservation (and wasn’t the only one who did exactly that). Bushwhacked in and the gallinules were out in the open. Bushwhacked further and had a night heron, Bank Swallow, and 2 PB Grebes plus a bunch of Least and Solitaries.

Returned home via Heard Pond (nothing), the swamp (more Least at the bridge), and the res (nothing).

Sunday 7/14: Rescheduled butterfly count, in Acton as always with a detour into Carlisle. Spencer Brook had flying turkey poults and Appalachian Browns. NARA Park had very little. Nagog Hill had a ton of Wood Nymphs and Pearl Crescents and nothing else. Grassy Pond had very little. Conant School back field was 90% empty and the other 10% had the count’s only Silver-bordered Fritillaries, a bunch of different skippers, and a few other things.

Monday 7/15: Water level too high at Arlington Res, flyover Least was about the only thing of interest. Nothing on Hardy.

Tuesday 7/16: Powdered Dancers the most interesting thing at Cookson and the square.

WIR 7/3-7/9

Wednesday 7/3: Did a loop from Farm Meadow. Bobolinks, Winter Wren, FOY Halloween Pennants, not too much else.

Thursday 7/4: Did a Worcester county loop. Bolton Flats was mostly overgrown, Marsh Wren, swallows, YT Vireo. Pine Hill had good numbers of Grasshopper Sparrows but no luck with Vesper. Family of loons at Rainbow Cove at Wachusett. Sawyer Bluff had a few more things including a few odes and robbers. Ended up boosting my July Worcester list from 11(!) to 60.

Friday 7/5: Not sure where the rain came from, but Great Meadows was the plan anyway. Started with a Pileated, then a Virginia Rail on the path. Turned around and there were 3 Mink running behind me. Went down to the river and most of the way back without much else, but there was another rail in the open by the benches. Which I realized after a second was a Sora. It was barely concerned with me and was wandering around for several minutes.

Saturday 7/6: Butterfly count was canceled but did a quick check of the res and Flint’s/Hardy to/from while making the decision. Nothing worth noting.

Sunday 7/7: Started at Vietnam Veteran’s Park in Billerica. Flushed a woodcock while poking along the edge of the pond, quite a bit at the pond, then (accidentally) took a long walk in the woods and had very little. Ode walk at the Cranberry Bog had Mocha Emerald, Swamp Darner, and low numbers of the usual. Also Virginia Rails, Gray Hairstreak, and an interesting fly or two.

Monday 7/8: Lots of Clamp-tipped Emeralds at Dunback, not too much else.

Tuesday 7/9: Got the expected stuff at Hanscom including Black-and-white, Prairie, Field Sparrow, towhees, redstart, etc.

WIR 6/26-7/2

Wednesday 6/26: Rock Meadow was fairly quiet, couple Indigo Buntings the most interesting. Gave the duck ponds a look too, zero waterbirds but did finally get a ‘commute’ raven for the month.

Thursday 6/27: Nothing exciting along the river in Watertown.

Friday 6/28: Winter Wren and night heron at Weston Station Pond plus FOY Common Wood-Nymph.

Saturday 6/29: Planned on a Suffolk/Norfolk loop to pick up a few things but went to Burrage instead.

Sunday 6/30: Did the loop planned for yesterday. Started with the Cliff Swallows nesting(!) in Hyde Park. Two buzzed in and out a bit right at the middle of the bridge. Somehow those are my first in MA away from Middlesex.

Continued to Fowl Meadow, which was pretty quiet (RB Grosbeak was a Norfolk June bird but not much else). Did have some decent bugs including Appalachian Brown, Mulberry Wing, and Illinois River Cruiser. Blue Hills next, did a quick loop and the Acadian was noisy, although otherwise uncooperative. Also FOY Dun Skipper.

Pulled in at the res on the way home and realized the Healthpoint Pond was a good spot for the time. Got some decent Comet Darner photos, an Amber-winged Spreadwing, and a Swamp Darner.

Monday 7/1: Family(?) of Blue-wings at BBN.

Tuesday 7/2: Louisiana Waterthrush at Estabrook plus FOY Little Glassywing.

WIR 6/19-6/25

Wednesday 6/19: Pretty quiet at Arlington Great Meadows, FOY Holopogon the most interesting.

Thursday 6/20: Mystic Lakes didn’t have much going on but had a kestrel in Arlington center on the way home.

Friday 6/21: Prairie and a family of Orchard Orioles at Hobbs Brook.

Saturday 6/22: Did the Ashby BBC trip, unfortunately in poor weather again. Ed and I started with waterthrushes running along the beach(!) then looped the trails for a couple hours, a few more warblers, BH Vireos, thrushes, etc. Stopped at the reservoirs on the way out but they were fogged in. Should have gone to Belle Isle on the way home…

Sunday 6/23: Waited out the rain then went for the phalarope at Belle Isle. An hour on the platform didn’t turn it up, as did almost as long at Lawn Ave. Usual stuff, a few other shorebirds the most interesting. Gave the cemetery a quick check too without anything (and the knotweed was too thick to see the Key from there).

Monday 6/24: Mocha Emerald at Falzone, Blue-fronted Dancer at the West Meadow.

Tuesday 6/25: Great Egret, Osprey chasing an eagle at Great Meadows.

WIR 6/12-6/18

Wednesday 6/12: Hanscom had a few warblers and a Veery plus FOY Eastern Amberwing. Servers were being transported so didn’t have work for most of the day, so went out to Nashoba Brook and got county Blue Corporal.

Thursday 6/13: Night Heron at Cookson, nothing too exciting along the river.

Friday 6/14: Turkey, couple different Laphria, FOY saddlebags at Dunback.

Saturday 6/15: Decided to work on my June Essex county list which had a remarkable number of common birds missing. Mostly inland, so all my previous birding must have been from Plum. Went to Crooked Pond and went from 84 to 107 (including Green Heron over the highway). Baby Veery and Yellow-throated Vireos the highlights plus finally getting a Barred Owl for the county. No luck with Wood Thrush and the possible Broad-wing was seen too briefly. Checked for nearby hotspots when I was done and decided to make a quick stop at Farnsworth Landing, adding another 3 plus a Cyrano Darner and Unicorn Clubtail. Lynnfield Marshes had a Marsh Wren and a couple common things I needed for Wakefield.

Sunday 6/16: Went up to Dunstable to look for martins. No luck with those but 50+ species including a family of Barred Owl. Thought about a couple other spots but decided to go just over the border and see if I could pick up a few NH gaps. Got Warbling Vireo and Barn Swallow among 26 species at Lovewell Pond along with a Sedge Sprite. Stopped at River Front Park in Tyngsboro on the way home for a quick ode check, no clubtails but FOY Powdered Dancer and Stream Bluet.

Monday 6/17: BBN had Barred Owls making that weird noise I heard last year around the same time and a few other things of slight interest.

Tuesday 6/18: Couple Pileated about it at Great Meadows.

WIR 6/5-6/11

Wednesday 6/5: Farm Meadow had only 2 Bobolink and no Veery in the woods. Loon on Flint’s, Ruddy on Hardy too.

Thursday 6/6: Falzone was pretty quiet. West Meadow had a rail but not much else.

Friday 6/7: Expected stuff at the back side of Prospect Hill.

Saturday 6/8: Got the Grasshopper Sparrow (barely) in Shirley. Beaver Brook in Westford had a few Prairie Warblers, a Cooper’s chasing a Green Heron, and a few bugs. Driving off, I realized I actually wanted to be at Nashoba Brook though. Cranberry Bog had the usual including Cyrano Darner plus mating Laphria and a few other things.

Sunday 6/9: Did my Minuteman survey, which was just the usual stuff in what felt like average numbers. Found all the points with ease today, so was done just after 7 and it wasn’t raining yet. Next stop was Pico Beach, where the martins were present although a bit distant. Acadian in the Fells next, showed briefly when I got there. Tracked down Glen’s trill to a Chipping, then walked a bit along Spot Pond where there were fledgling grosbeaks and a few other things.

Monday 6/10: College Pond had a Delta-spotted Spiketail and a couple crossbills among the usual.

Tuesday 6/11: Had to visit the new data center to help with set up, which happens to be next to Prospect Hill, so walked there for an hour first. Black-and-white was the only thing that was different from last week.