WIR 7/1-7/7

Wednesday 7/1: Too rainy.

Thursday 7/2: Striped Hairstreak at BBN.

Striped Hairstreak

Friday 7/3: Went to the river walk for the first time in awhile for bluets and dancers. Got Blue-fronted, Stream, and Skimming but not much else.

Saturday 7/4: Out in Otis. Did a 5 mile loop of the state forest in the rain, lots of Blackburnians, BT Blues, etc but rather wet.

Sunday 7/5: Got home earlier enough to catch the end of the ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Lots of sprites, first Elegant Spreadwings of the year, not a whole lot else at first. Did a loop by myself after to get the Sphagnum Sprites and found Eastern Red Damsels almost back at the car, unfortunately long after everyone else left.

Eastern Red Damsel

Monday 7/6: Nothing exciting at Lone Tree Hill, only one hairstreak which appeared to be Banded. Warbling Vireo from the yard in the evening.

Tuesday 7/7: Fawn Darner and little else at the duck ponds.

WsIR 6/10-6/23

Two weeks as my laptop was dead in the middle.

Wednesday 6/10: Singing redstart and nothing else at Purgatory Cove.

Thursday 6/11: Ended up at Farm Meadow: 20ish Bobolinks, Veery.

Friday 6/12: Dunback had an Alder Flycatcher but no Red-headed Woodpecker.

Saturday 6/13: Checked Fawn Lake in Bedford briefly (nothing terribly exciting), then the river crossing on 225 (YB Cuckoo) while heading to the ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Think 27 species there, all the expected ones but no luck with Carolina Saddlebags. Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetles, a Pileated, and BB Cuckoo too.

Sunday 6/14: Minuteman survey, fisher was the best thing by far.

Monday 6/15: Tired and rainy.

Tuesday 6/16: Purgatory Cove had 3 BC Night-Herons.

Wednesday 6/17: Nothing exciting at BBN.

Thursday 6/18: FOY Banded Hairstreak at Prospect Hill.

Friday 6/19: Two Pileated, a kestrel, and 3 deer in the middle of the upper impoundment at Great Meadows.

Saturday 6/20: Ashby to Townsend to Groton to Carlisle. Spatterdock Darners in Ashby, Twin-spotted Spiketail and Louisiana Waterthrushes in Groton, first meadowhawks in Carlisle.

Sunday 6/21: Too rainy.

Monday 6/22: Nothing overly exciting at College Pond.

Tuesday 6/23: Nothing overly exciting on the trails behind Farm Meadow.

WIR 6/3-6/9

Wednesday 6/3: Nothing exciting at Nine Acre Corner.

Thursday 6/4: Late(ish) Blackpoll and lots of mosquitos at BBN.

Friday 6/5: Pileated and Delta-spotted Spiketail at Saw Meadow in Lincoln.

Saturday 6/6: Rock Meadow and the duck ponds were quiet.

Sunday 6/7: Foxes and little else at Prospect Hill. Was about to turn on the tennis when Simon called asking for directions to the spiketail. Easier to show than to describe, so I went back out. Surprisingly, the first bug at the first opening was another one although it didn’t cooperate. Pileated and Broad-wing further on plus a few Cyrano Darners. Continued to Nine Acre where we checked on the Cliff Swallows and then the Bobolinks. Several expected FOY odes plus a less expected Bronze Copper.

Bronze Copper

Monday 6/8: College Pond had the Barred Owl, a BB Cuckoo, more Boreal Bluets, and a few other things. Fishfly on the deck when I got home at night.

Barred Owl

Tuesday 6/9: Stopped for the loon at Flint’s and then got the Alder Flycatchers at Meriam’s along with an Orchard Oriole.

Orchard Oriole

WIR 5/27-6/2

Wednesday 5/27: Nothing beyond an Orchard Oriole at BBN.

Thursday 5/28: Boreal Bluets and a Harlequin Darner at College Pond.

Friday 5/29: Nothing at Great Meadows.

Saturday 5/30: Ran out to Townsend. Decent numbers of dragonflies including my first Beaverpond Clubtail and Elfin Skimmers for the county. Would have liked the additional whitefaces to show better, suspect I saw all 5 but couldn’t confirm the 2 better ones. Also had an Arctic Skipper here and a few Silvery Blues out in Ashby.

Arctic Skipper

Silvery Blue
Sitting outside late afternoon had the returning Broad-wing, a vulture, FOY saddlebags and Prince Baskettail, and first for the yard Little Wood Satyr.
 
Sunday 5/31: BBC/MBC trip to Great Meadows. Slow start but nice flyby of Least Bittern and calling PB Grebe towards the end.
 
Monday 6/1: Rainy, nothing at Heard or the res.
Tuesday 6/2: Still rainy, still nothing at Heard.

WIR 5/20-5/26

Wednesday 5/20: Heard only Mourning Warbler at Forest Grove plus Willow Flycatchers, pewee, and a raccoon.

Thursday 5/21: Prospect Hill had a decent selection of warblers, highlighted by 2 Blackburnians plus a deer and a fox. Two young deer on the way home.

Friday 5/22: Lots of Bobolinks at Heard Farm plus an American Lady and a good number of Common Baskettails.

Saturday 5/23: BBN/Rock Meadow had 12+ warblers (including Tennessee, Wilson’s, and Canada) plus BB Cuckoo. Stopped at the duck ponds, added Blackpoll and a mammal.

Sunday 5/24: Walked Lot 1 and the West Meadow. FOY Green Heron and Swainson’s Thrush plus patch FOY Spotted Sandpiper, Pine Warbler, Belted Kingfisher, and DC Cormorant. First ringlets too.

Monday 5/25: Started at Great Meadows where I heard one of two Least Bitterns. Continued to the Cranberry Bog even though it clouded up. A few New England Bluets but not much else. Quick check of Fort Pond Brook had a few more FOY odes, nothing terribly exciting.

New England Bluet

Spangled Skimmer
Tuesday 5/26: Prospect Hill was quiet beyond a Stream Cruiser.

WIR 5/13-5/19

Wednesday 5/13: Chestnut-sided and a Pewee finally at Hayden Woods plus lots of azures.

Thursday 5/14: BB Cuckoo, Wilson’s Warbler, Bobolinks at Forest Grove.

Friday 5/15: Solitary and not much else at the duck ponds. Beaver at College Pond on the way home.

Saturday 5/16: MBC bird day. Finished with 102 out of 104 group total. Highlights included calling Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Semipalmated Plovers, and ice cream.

Sunday 5/17: Went out to Townsend for odes. Fairly quiet. Just missed the perfect shot of Beaverpond Baskettail:

Beaverpond Baskettail

Lots of whitefaces, corporals, etc but nothing good.

Monday 5/18: BBN had a hummer, Willow Flycatcher, pewee, few warblers, etc.

Tuesday 5/19: Lesser Yellowlegs at Nine Acre but nothing else there, at the res, or Heard Pond.

WIR 5/6-5/12

Wednesday 5/6: BBN had 8 warblers (including Blackpoll, BT Blue, and Prairie) plus a Scarlet Tanager and Least Flycatcher.

Blackpoll

 

Thursday 5/7: Louisiana Waterthrush, Solitary Sandpipers, and not much else at College Pond.

Waterthrush

Friday 5/8: Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove again. Magnolia, GC Flycatcher, Ovenbird, not a ton else.

Saturday 5/9: Great Meadows was fairly quiet. Least and Solitary Sandpipers and one pocked of warblers plus Marsh Wrens finally. Went back to Assabet after and had 2 boghaunters, a few baskettails, and some less identified things.

Sunday 5/10: Led the Mt. Auburn trip. Cape May, cooperative Blackburnian, few other things but much less than had been reported.

Monday 5/11: Blackburnian and BB Cuckoo at BBN plus first whitetail of the year.

Tuesday 5/12: Heard Pond had a street sweeper and a flyover Bobolink.

WIR 4/29-5/5

Wednesday 4/29: Barred Owl and Virginia Rail at College Pond.

Thursday 4/30: Waterthrush and BT Green at Arlington Res but not much else new.

Friday 5/1: RB Grosbeak and a couple BH Vireos at BBN.

Saturday 5/2: Grosbeaks and Yellow Warblers all over Dunback. Warbling Vireos and not too much else at Great Meadows. Cliff Swallow and Spotted Sandpiper at Nine Acre, 2 eagles at the res.

Sunday 5/3: Black-and-white, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush at Round Hill. Yellowthroat, 3 Broad-wings, lots of Pine Elfins at Assabet River. Orioles and tiger beetles at the Desert.

Monday 5/4: Couple Parulas among a pile of Yellow-rumps and handful of Palms at Heard Pond, plus a waterthrush or two and a few grosbeaks. Pileated flew over Rt. 30 on the way home.

Tuesday 5/5: Started raining heavily as I reached Purgatory Cove. Lots of Yellow-rumps again plus a couple Parulas, Bt Green, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Blue-headed Vireo, both orioles, etc. Back corner of the cove was where the excitement was when a large, long-winged, strongly notched tailed swallow buzzed over. Not ideal, but can’t make it anything but a martin.

WIR 4/22-4/28

Wednesday 4/22: Late American Tree Sparrow was about it at BBN.

Late Tree Sparrow

Thursday 4/23: Windier than I liked at the Wayland CG. Couple gnatcatchers and nothing else exciting.

Friday 4/24: Arlington Res had a sweep of swallows, a kingbird, and a Merlin.

Saturday 4/25: Bit of a lazy start, but eventually wandered out. Scaup still at the res. Nothing exciting at Round Hill. Red-shoulders at the Desert Natural Area plus azures at both of those stops. Afternoon trip to Great Meadows failed to find much, did get a banded Great Black-backed.

Sunday 4/26: Led the Mt. Auburn trip which was dead. Highlights: 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 3 Hermit Thrushes, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches. Arlington Res after, which is where all the warblers are apparently. Yellow-rumps all over with a few Palms, 1 Pine, and FOY Yellow. Nothing much else. Long walk around AGM after didn’t have any butterflies but did have a thrasher.

Monday 4/27: Heard Pond had a Blue-headed Vireo and lots of Yellow-rumps and Palms.

Tuesday 4/28: About the same as yesterday at Forest Grove (minus the vireo).