YIR 2019

Kind of a strange year, not much for migrants, especially in fall, but lots of rarities.

January: Finch show continued with grosbeaks being a bit more consistent at Dunback and Red Crossbills on patch. Shrike at Heard Pond was the first nice local bird of the year that others chased (although the DC Cormorant was probably rarer). Nashville at Belle Isle midmonth was quite good

February: Chased the Trumpeter Swan for the commute list but that and the roosting Long-ears in Boston were about it for the month.

March: Good flock of crossbills at Dunback, then an early night-heron in Watertown and a good morning at Bolton Flats to end the month was about it.

April: Added Ring-neck and Virginia Rail to the patch list, then Blue-winged Teal a week later. Lots of early Spotted Sandpipers, a moderate day in Bristol County, got a few new warblers for the month at the very end.

May: Decent migration. Grosbeaks stayed at Dunback through the first. Started a run of 4 or 5 straight visits to the Charles with a new patch bird. Dragonfly season finally started on the 11th. Birthday county bird with a Cattle Egret. Ended the month with Yellow-bellied Flycatchers everywhere.

June: Lots of survey work, a cool robber fly at Horn Pond Mountain, first Tropical Kingbird of the year, and a few interesting odes.

July: Walden BioBlitz was a fun start.Texas trip was great for odes plus the 2 expected life birds. Comet Darners and Carolina Saddlebags by the res, then the NE DSA meeting.

August: Martha’s Pennants on Watatic, start of a shorebird show on patch and some other migrants.

September: Slow migration.

October: Birds of the year both turned up on patch with Hudsonian Godwit and Tropical Kingbird. Laughing Gull fallout midmonth, Purple Gallinule in Milton, Ipswich Sparrow in Framingham.

November: Started with the Pacific-slope Flycatcher in Hadley (plus a nice flock of Brant at Quabbin), then finished with the Franklin’s Gull in Quincy/Milton.

December: Fairly quiet, windy CBC, not much else.

So overall 3 life birds (the 2 central TX specialties and the PS Flycatcher), 3 state birds (Purple Gallinule, PS Flycatcher, Franklin’s Gull), and 3 county birds (Cattle Egret, Hudsonian Godwit, Tropical Kingbird), 4 Waltham birds (Red Crossbill, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Hudsonian Godwit, and Laughing Gull), 8 BBN/RM patch birds (Red Crossbill, Ring-necked Duck, Virginia Rail, Blue-winged Teal, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, godwit, kingbird, and Bald Eagle), 5 Cambridge Res birds (Cliff Swallow, Tennessee and Bay-breasted Warblers, American Woodcock, and Laughing Gull), and 5 Charles birds (Brown Thrasher, Bay-breasted Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Screech-Owl, Blue-winged Warbler). Decent amount of other county birds, got to 2000 total ticks in MA. Barely hit the easy goal of 150 workday SRV birds.

Haven’t added up the bugs yet, but several new for the county (Comet Darner, Carolina Saddlebags, Martha’s Pennant) along with all the Texas lifers (24ish). No clue about butterflies. Started looking at Syrphids (12 species this year) and slowly learning Asilids.

Goals for 2020: 600 ABA, 390 MA, 306 Middlesex, get Norfolk to 200, Hampden, Hampshire, and/or Berkshire to 100. Middlesex town ticks to 4400 and get at least 5 more over the 100 mark. Continue pushing month lists along (got at least one new bird for state and county every month this year). Try for 165 Cambridge region commute birds. No specific bug goals.

WIR 12/25-12/31

Wednesday 12/25: Very quiet CBC scouting at Ricci Field. Nothing in a quick check of Hanscom, then nothing at School St. Lots of Canadas at Nine Acre (and the prison field, although those weren’t checked overly carefully). Deer lying on the ice at the res but no birds beyond gulls.

Thursday 12/26: Did a Cape Ann run finally this year. Halibut wasn’t too exciting, 11+ Yellow-rumps the best land bird and the usual sea things. Andrews had a flyby Dovekie. Usual at the various Gloucester stops, finally got a guillemot for December at the Elks Club. Decided to try Andrews again and see if the King Eider was showing but the only thing of note was another guillemot. A few Brant at Plum Cove rounded out the day.

Friday 12/27: Went to Great Meadows. Flyover pipit, 3 Winter Wrens, and finally heard one of the Virginia Rails the survey group had yesterday.

Saturday 12/28: “Scouting” for the Concord CBC, did almost the whole loop. Phoebe at Ricci was by far the best but decent numbers all around. Went back out to Ayer and got the RH Woodpecker after.

Sunday 12/29: No phoebe but I think that was the only bird I missed. Added Field Sparrow, turkey, Hairy Woodpecker too.

Monday 12/30: Far too nasty but did pull in at Heard Pond and had a Great Black-back on the ice, 152 for the SRV commute year.

Tuesday 12/31: Too nasty, usual stuff in the yard.

WIR 12/18-12/24

Wednesday 12/18: Was nice out so of course the Pine Warbler was chipping away along the river. One of two count week birds along the Charles today and not quite as good as the Townsend’s found in Watertown. Also a Ruddy and otherwise about the same.

Thursday 12/19: Too cold, did scan the res very quickly, nothing new.

Friday 12/20: Busy

Saturday 12/21: Finally tried for the Townsend’s, no luck obviously. Nothing terribly exciting along the river, RC Kinglet was the most exciting at Mt. Auburn after.

Sunday 12/22: Usual at Horn Pond. Goldeneye on Upper Mystic Lake was surprisingly a first for me on the lakes. Only found one of the Chipping Sparrows at Meadowbrook. Very little open water on the res, Ring-neck, couple Hoodies, couple goldeneye, and a few gulls.

Monday 12/23: Riverwalk was dead.

Tuesday 12/24: Started by Watertown Square again. No Townsend’s but got the Yellow-rump and catbird that had been seen over the last few days. Continued to the east and had another Yellow-rump. Continued from there to Magazine Beach for some reason, which was totally dead.

WIR 12/11-12/17

Wednesday 12/11: Nothing exciting in the yard.

Thursday 12/12: Eagle flying over BBN was a very overdue patch bird.

Friday 12/13: Barred Owl about it at Dunback.

Saturday 12/14: Thought it was going to be a washout, but the rain stopped late morning. Started for the res, realized it was fogged in, so went up to Norumbega and worked my way down to the river walk, finding nothing at any point. It had gotten quite a bit brighter so headed back to the res to find it still foggy. Did pick out a few Ring-necks and goldeneye but I’m sure most of the birds were out of view.

Sunday 12/15: Greater Boston CBC in the wind. Quiet at Dunback, missed a Yellow-rump at Lot 1. A distant scaup at Hardy Pond, so we drove around and walked in from Graverson. Scaup confirmed as a Lesser then a Field Sparrow popped up on the way out, both new for the sector. Nothing terribly exciting after that, field station, Gore, and along the river.

Monday 12/16: Wasn’t windy so of course I found 4 species at BBN that we missed yesterday: Chipping Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and Hairy Woodpecker.

Tuesday 12/17: Snowed in.

WIR 12/4-12/10

Wednesday 12/4: Nothing on a quick buzz of Cambridge Res.

Thursday 12/5: Wood Duck among the regulars at Pelham Island Rd.

Friday 12/6: Quiet on the riverwalk.

Saturday 12/7: Same ducks on the res. Slogged through the snow at both ends of Waltham St and found nothing. Mostly the usuals at Moody St but a chip alerted me to a Pine Warbler. Chased the meadowlarks at Hanscom without any luck.

Sunday 12/8: Tried for the meadowlarks again, only had 4 Field Sparrows and an eagle. Another eagle plus a GB Heron at the res, which was close to freezing over.

Monday 12/9: Merlin and 3 Wood Ducks at Forest Grove.

Tuesday 12/10: Barred Owl at Lot 1.

WIR 11/27-12/3

Wednesday 11/27: Winter Wren and not much else at the West Meadow.

Thursday 11/28: Looped out as far as Nagog without anything of note.

Friday 11/29: Charles by Watertown Square was pretty quiet. Nothing exciting at Torbert McDonald, nothing at Draw Seven. Eventually found Jonathan’s Long-tailed Duck by the casino but no interesting sparrows. Big Ring-neck flock at the res but nothing else among them beyond Hoodies.

Saturday 11/30: Made the brilliant decision to try Wachusett Res. Freezing, windy, and pretty birdless. Rail trail had very little and no hybrid hawk. Gave up and worked my way home, stopping at Fort Meadow Res, Hager Pond, Heard Pond, and Norumbega without much.

Sunday 12/1: Usual at the res. Rusty, Winter Wren, and a Yellow-rump among the usual at Dunback. A good 50+ Red-wings at Waltham St as I drove by. Apparently walked by the Lark Sparrow at Earhart, got the Long-tail for December, then found the sparrow on the way back. Hundred+ mergansers on Spy Pond plus a few Ruddy, Hardy almost frozen.

Monday 12/2: Snowed in, White-throat, junco, Song Sparrow about it.

Tuesday 12/3: Snowed in, 2 Song Sparrows but no White-throat.

WIR 11/20-11/26

Wednesday 11/20: Fish Crows and a Fox Sparrow at Forest Grove.

Thursday 11/21: Late(ish) catbird and lots of blackbirds at Dunback.

Friday 11/22: Made it back to Farm Pond. Snow Bunting on the causeway, eagle over, creeper at the other end.

Saturday 11/23: After a quick check of the res, went down for the Franklin’s Gull. No luck (I sort of assumed it was long gone), so went to Great Pond next. Usual big flock of diving ducks but not a ton else, Palm Warbler the highlight. Made a quick scan for the Snow Goose then started towards the Barnacle (but without checking directions, so I just headed back towards the gull). Saw John and Audrey scanning as I drove by, then while I stopped to check details noticed it had been reported again so doubled back. Nice to walk up to a bird in the scope. Watched for a bit, then went to the other side of the golf course for better views. Quick stop picked up the Barnacle Goose too, then home with a very quick confirmation the the Snow flock was elsewhere still.

Sunday 11/24: Too rainy for anything but a pond loop. Nothing at the res, flock of cowbirds but no interesting geese at Nine Acre, Ruddies at Spy, eagle at Mystic Lakes, RN Grebe at Fresh Pond, nothing at Hardy.

Monday 11/25: Another catbird and not a whole lot out at Hanscom/Gaining Ground.

Tuesday 11/26: Barrett’s Mill had 2 Field Sparrows among a lot of more common stuff. Lots of Canadas and pigeons at Wetherbee.

WIR 11/13-11/19

Wednesday 11/13: Pond loop had a few Ring-necks at the res and nothing elsewhere.

Thursday 11/14: Nothing much at Purgatory.

Friday 11/15: Yellow-rump and a late Phoebe at BBN.

Saturday 11/16: Too cold for much, so another pond loop. Lots of Ring-necks and Hoodies at the res. First bird I saw at Flint’s was some sort of Hooded Merganser hybrid that’s still under debate.Nothing at Nine Acre or the prison fields. More mergs at Nagog and more of the same at Hardy.

Sunday 11/17: Plan was to poke around a bit then hope for better photos of yesterday’s thing. Res had more Ring-necks and a few wigeon. Nothing at Spy Pond. Red-necked Grebe and a loon at Fresh Pond. Nothing at Earhart. Decided to go to Millennium for the Audubon’s Warbler. PB Grebe and lots of sparrows as I walked over, warbler showed briefly immediately then disappeared (MA #384.5). Saw the White-fronted Goose report so headed to Nine Acre on the way to Flint’s. Got the geese and a harrier, but no duck at Flint’s (without getting out of the car).

Monday 11/18: Nothing new at the res. Duck was back at Flint’s, geese were still at Nine Acre, nothing at Heard.

Tuesday 11/19: Too rainy to do anything but another pond loop. Usual at Hardy. RT Loon at the res, nothing at Heard.

WIR 11/6-11/12

Wednesday 11/6: Harrier about it at Kaveski/Meriam’s, although lots of the regulars.

Thursday 11/7: Field Sparrow and a few ducks at Heard.

Friday 11/8: Nothing at the res. Figured that would mean nothing at Flint’s so went to the Old Rt. 27 bridge. Very little moving but 2 Pied-billed Grebes were SRV workday year bird #150 (finally). First Fox Sparrow of the fall popped up and 2 Red-shoulders were flying around, then the wind really picked up. Checked Heard Pond (a few teal) and Pelham Island Rd (ducks all in the sun).

Saturday 11/9: Planned something coastal. First thought was Castle Island, but a 5K was about to start, so I turned around and went to Squantum instead. Not much at Squaw Rock Park, eagle and a snipe (finally in Norfolk) at Commander Shea Blvd, pair of Cooper’s at Squantum Point Park, then an Ispwich Sparrow or two at Passanageset Park. Usual at Wollaston on the way out, then a coot among other stuff at Charlesbank on the way home.

Sunday 11/10: Joined the MBC walk at Dunback where a perched harrier was the most interesting thing. Continued to the prison fields, School St, and Nine Acre after without anything besides Canada Geese (and a few pipits at School St). Flint’s had goldeneye and nothing else, Res was quiet, Hardy had a few mergansers (as did Hobbs Brook).

Monday 11/11: Took advantage of the day off and started at Alewife. Very late gnatcatcher and an Orange-crowned were nice, as was a Red-shoulder. Continued to Torbert McDonald which had another Orange-crowned plus a Merlin. Draw Seven was very dead. Tried the casino next, lots of sparrows including 5+ Chipping and a Grasshopper!

Tuesday 11/12: Winter Wren at Great Meadows was #199 there but too foggy for anything else.