Wednesday 7/13-Monday 7/18: DSA meeting/travel.
Tuesday 7/19: Half second look at the bridge on Pelham Island Rd didn’t have anything.
WIR 7/6-7/12
Wednesday 7/6: Kingfisher at the duck ponds was a patch FOY.
Thursday 7/7: Usual at College Pond
Friday 7/8: Went to Nobscot to fill in some holes, confirmed Ovenbird nesting but not a ton else.
Saturday 7/9: Cruised around looking for shorebirds without finding much other than first of fall Least Sandpipers at Hobbs Brook.
Sunday 7/10: Repeat of yesterday.
Monday 7/11-Tuesday 7/12: Transit to DSA meeting.
WIR 6/29-7/5
Wednesday 6/29: Tried hitting the duck ponds early before the rain started with minimal success. Poured before I finished and nothing much of note.
Thursday 6/30: BBN had the usual plus a flock of Rough-winged Swallows over the parkway.
Friday 7/1: Flushed a woodcock a couple times at Round Hill.
Saturday 7/2: Started with a check of Nine Acre and Knox Trail for shorebirds, nothing beyond Killdeer and Spotted (FOY Blue-fronted Dancer at Knox Trail at least). Continued to Holliston to check out a couple sites for odes, tons of pondhawks and dashers but nothing exciting (more FOY included Slender Spreadwing and Autumn Meadowhawk).
Sunday 7/3: Went up to Dunstable for the first time in a couple years. Still like the area but nothing about. Continued to Townsend State Forest which had lots of Frosted Whitefaces and a singing Yellow-rump but little else.
Monday 7/4: Nothing at Great Meadows.
Tuesday 7/5: Got rained on at Forest Grove.
WIR 6/22-6/28
Wednesday 6/22: Red-bellied Tiger Beetle at Prospect Hill along with a Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Thursday 6/23: Nothing exciting in Lincoln.
Friday 6/24: Rough-winged Swallows and a Redstart at Lot 1 plus FOY Black Saddlebags.
Saturday 6/25: Wandered down to Fairhaven for the Clapper Rail(s) that have been reported regularly. One was calling for pretty much the entire hour and a half I was there, but never got a view. Pretty birdy otherwise, nothing too exciting. Continued to West Island, which padded out the Bristol county list a bit, highlighted by a pair of Oystercatchers. Started for Freetown State Forest but decided on Myles Standish instead. Bad move, some sort of bike ride going on and I didn’t want to stop along the road (ponds were way low too, would have been tough to access many). Stopped at the river walk briefly, BC Night-Heron below the waterfall but no Blue-fronted Dancers or anything else of note.
Sunday 6/26: Started with the Little Blue Heron at Knox Trail (first adult in the county in years(?)). On to Hugh Cargill, which had a few Bog Coppers but no Elfin Skimmers. Cranberry Bog had the usual, first meadowhawks, amberwings, and Skimming Bluets of the year but no Lilypad Clubtails. Continued to Horn Pond where the kestrels were showing off but not much else.
Monday 6/27: Took a chance on another Little Blue reported in Lexington. No luck (and likely wasn’t), but first time at Parker Meadow. Looked good for butterflies at least.
Tuesday 6/28: Tower at Great Meadows was fairly quiet.
WIR 6/15-6/21
Wednesday 6/15: Not much at BBN. First European Skipper of the year but that was about it.
Thursday 6/16: More Bobolinks at Heard Farm.
Friday 6/17: Two or three Least Bittern at Great Meadows (finally).
Saturday 6/18: Bug day. Atlantis Fritillary and Harris’s Checkerspot on Watatic, then a milestone at Willard Brook. Couldn’t dig up the Crimson-ringed Whiteface at Townsend State Forest and Bertozzi was fairly quiet late afternoon, but a good day.
Sunday 6/19: Minuteman survey was pretty quiet. Shadow Darner in the yard at night was very early for me.
Monday 6/20: YT Vireos cooperated (audibly at least) at the Wayland gardens.
Tuesday 6/21: Nothing too exciting at the duck ponds, mud hopefully will continue to look good.
100!
Middlesex ode #100!
WIR 6/8-6/14
Wednesday 6/8: Wandered to Meriam’s for Alder Flycatcher. First pondhawk of the year too.
Thursday 6/9: Windy and otherwise quiet at Prospect Hill.
Friday 6/10: Saw Mill Pasture for a change. Still a bit windy and cloudy. Nothing too exciting in the birds, Marsh Bluets and a few FOY odes.
Saturday 6/11: Started at the Hanscom Trails, picked up a bunch of things for Bedford, then took the wrong trail back and wandered along 62 for half a mile. Ode walk at the Cranberry Bog after. Bit cloudy, highlight was Vesper Bluets.
Sunday 6/12: Confirmed the Alder at Dunback, then had another at Mary Cummings. Eagle over the yard.
Monday 6/13: Usual at Purgatory/Forest Grove, FOY Variable Dancer the highlight.
Tuesday 6/14: Lots of Bobolinks and Calico Pennants at Farm Meadow.
WIR 6/1-6/7
Wednesday 6/1: Rock Meadow survey, Willow Flycatcher was about it. Really wish they were reversed and we were at Habitat today…
Thursday 6/2: Usual at College Pond, Barred Owl was showy today.
Friday 6/3: Nothing much at Dunback, probable Alder didn’t quite cooperate.
Saturday 6/4: Decided to head towards the coast for a change and give my Suffolk county list a boost. Started with a stop at the Earhart dam, where a Common Tern dropped in fairly quickly. Pretty busy otherwise, although nothing exciting. Continued to Belle Isle. Walked out to the platform, could see a bunch of shorebirds to the right, so wandered back to the car to grab the scope. That ended up working well as a Black-billed Cuckoo started singing at the parking lot. It even posed for a few seconds before dropping back.
Back with the scope, it was the usual shorebirds. Wandered back and forth for a couple hours and got a decent variety, but nothing terribly exciting.
Finally gave up and went to Pico, where 2 oystercatchers flew by immediately.
Sunday 6/5: Quiet in a short walk at Great Meadows, one flyover shorebird and 2 calling Virginia Rails about it.
Monday 6/6: Habitat survey, GH Owl but no moose.
Tuesday 6/7: Final Rock Meadow survey, ok after 10 minutes of downpour. Wood Duck family (finally) at the duck ponds on the way home.
WIR 5/25-5/31
Wednesday 5/25: West Meadow for a change. Calling BB Cuckoo was it for birds, but a Dytiscid beetle larva (common name Predacious Diving Beetles) was cool.
Thursday 5/26: Breeding bird survey at Habitat had a bunch of migrant warblers.
Friday 5/27: Rock Meadow survey had the expected. Quick loop around Lot 1 didn’t have much.
Saturday 5/28: First central MA swing of the year. Started at Willard Brook, which had a few BT Blues and not a whole lot else. Ashby side of Watatic next, which had a Silver-bordered Fritillary, Silvery Blues, Beaverpond Clubtails, and American Emeralds, which surprisingly appear to be a county ode (99!). More of the same at Townsend State Forest. Doing the loop around to the back of the rear pond, there was some interesting rustling ahead of the trail. Exciting to see the bear walk out, but I wasn’t about to continue so never checked the pond.
Sunday 5/29: Led a BBC/MBC/probably 3 more groups walk at Great Meadows. Too many people to start, but we worked our way to the river with a few decent things. Slightly odd song along the river, so I walked down a bit while everyone else looked at a Great Crested. It finally flew across and confirmed what I was thinking.
A couple quick snaps, then a shout Prothonotary! Unfortunately most people heard Solitary and scanned the bank and not the branches above. The bird came back to our side of the river and disappeared. We wandered down and just about everyone was able to hear it, but it was much too deep to see. The rest of the walk was fairly quiet.
Monday 5/30: Wandered back to Great Meadows as the rain ended, hoping for Least Bittern or Black Tern, but it was quiet. Didn’t try for the warbler, but heard negative reports. Checked Heard Pond and Pelham Island Rd quickly, with an Osprey at the pond and a snapping turtle laying eggs on the side of the road. Vulture and hummingbird over the yard in the evening.
Tuesday 5/31: Another Habitat survey, BB Cuckoo was interesting and there was a flycatcher that I would have liked to have heard more.
WIR 5/18-5/24
Wednesday 5/18: 10 warblers at Prospect Hill including a Wilson’s but nothing much else.
Thursday 5/19: Two BB Cuckoos calling at BBN but not much else.
Friday 5/20: Osprey, Chestnut-sided, not a ton else at Forest Grove (plus construction meant I had to walk in from Lyons Park which cut down on time actually looking).
Saturday 5/21: Went to Mt. Auburn, which was pretty quiet (Tennessee and Blackburnian about it). Continued to Assabet for boghaunters. No luck with those, but 11+ other odes. Plus a surprise as I reached the end of the Patrol Road, when a flycatcher started calling pit-seet!
Sunday 5/22: Slow at Dunback (Prairie and Magnolia and possibly Blue-winged the only migrants) but a Virginia Rail that popped up and landed on Bacon St was nice.
Monday 5/23: Heard Pond was fairly quiet (did finally get Marsh Wren and Green Heron for Wayland, but a stop at the bridge had a Semipalmated Plover, 2 Leasts, 4 Spotted, and a Solitary.
Tuesday 5/24: Nothing at the res. Got a Cliff Swallow at Nine Acre for the commute yearlist but little else. Solitary and single Least at Pelham Island Rd, expected a bit more with the rain.