Tag: weekinreview

Wednesday 5/14: Added 3 birds to my Charles list: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Ovenbird, and a frustrating Yellow-breasted Chat. I chased the chat up and down the edge of Flowed Meadow but never got a look.

 

Thursday 5/15: Horn Pond: Tennessee highlighted 13 warblers plus first of year Field Sparrow finally.

Friday 5/16: Started dodging traffic at the Cambridge Res and managed to flush the Horned(?) Grebe that was in close. Socialized at Mt. Auburn for an hour and a half before actually looking for birds (Swainson’s Thrush, Cape May and Bay-breasted about it). Ruddy at Hardy Pond but no luck refinding the grebe in two attempts. Also first of year pewee while looking for (and finally finding) ravens for birdathon.

Saturday 5/17: Birdathon. Not a bad day after the pouring rain. Twenty warblers including Louisiana Waterthrush, a few thrushes, flycatchers, etc. 101 total.

Sunday 5/18: Started for Rock Meadow but had a flat tire so walked to Lot 1. Canada (which we missed yesterday) and a few other things plus a nice Common Baskettail.

Monday 5/19: Got the tire fixed, so a quick check of Forest Grove was on order. Fairly quiet but Scarlet Tanager and Tennessee Warbler were nice. Since I was halfway to Nahanton, I decided the Prothonotary was worth a stop. Heard it singing across the river pretty quickly once I got down there but it took a few minutes to come back and then played hard to see (blaring away in the bush next to me and I only saw it after it moved further away).

Tuesday 5/20: Additional stuff at Plum included several Blackburnians and Bay-breasteds, a good number of other shorebirds, and some Brant. Never made it to the beaches though. Checked Hamlin Reserve for the White-faced Ibis after, only found 40 Glossies and another Blackburnian.

Wednesday 5/7: BBN again. Prairie in the middle of the woods was out of place, first of year GC Flycatcher, Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, etc.

Thursday 5/8: Great Meadows: 10 warblers including Magnolia, Nashville, and Ovenbird. Also Green Heron, Orchard Orioles, Virginia Rail, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted and Least Sandpipers, Blue-headed Vireo (#200 for Concord!). Actual highlights were a Blanding’s Turtle and Mink.

Friday 5/9: Early trip to Arlington Res was pretty quiet. Solitary Sandpiper and a couple Bank Swallows were the only new things.

Saturday 5/10: One scaup still at the res in the morning rain. Juvenal’s Duskywing and not much else at the duck ponds in the afternoon.

Sunday 5/11: Led the Mt. Auburn trip. Birds everywhere so it was easy. Nineteen warblers including 3 Blackburnian, 2 Wilson’s, 3 Canada, and Cape May plus Broad-winged, 2 Osprey, Least Flycatcher, etc.

Monday 5/12: BBN had lots of warblers highlighted by a singing Tennessee along with a Black-billed Cuckoo. Springtime Darner and a Beaverpond Baskettail at Fort Pond Brook plus the usual elfins.

Tuesday 5/13: Warblers, warblers, and more warblers at Prospect Hill. Bay-breasted the best but so many common ones I had trouble sorting through. Also a loon over and a Springtime Darner. And an afternoon twitch.

Wednesday 4/30: Quick check of Hardy, the res, and Flint’s had nothing of interest. Stopped at Great Meadows and had a late American Tree Sparrow, 2 Ring-necked Ducks, and a kestrel. Plus a new bird for Great Meadows: Eastern Towhee.

Thursday 5/1: Same loop except I added Nine Acre briefly and went to the Beaver Brook ponds instead of Great Meadows. Pretty much the same nothing although the scaup and Bufflehead are now considered late.

Friday 5/2: Mt. Auburn was fairly quiet. Lots of cormorants overhead, a couple Black-and-whites, an oriole or two, and a grosbeak or two. Another Black-and-white and a kingbird at the duck ponds on the way home.

Saturday 5/3: Seven species of warbler at BBN plus a few other things including a Spring Azure.

Sunday 5/4: A few more warblers at Prospect Hill plus a distant Osprey and a towhee. Scaup still at the res, including a potential Lesser (plus 6 Ruddy). Yellow, Parula, and Yellow-rumps in the yard.

Monday 5/5: Early walk around Dunback: Harrier, calling Virginia Rail, Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, grosbeaks everywhere. Catbird in the yard.

Tuesday 5/6: Charles in Watertown had the usual. First of year night-herons plus a few warblers were the highlights.

Wednesday 4/23: Nothing new at Arlington Res although I barely was halfway around before it started raining.

Thursday 4/24: Nothing much at Hardy or the res.

Friday 4/25: Blue-headed Vireo and not much else at BBN.

Saturday 4/26: Was planning on waiting out the rain but lots of western/central Mass reports got me out late morning. Nothing new at Hardy. Four scaup started things off at the res. Nothing at the first opening but a few blobs further down were enough to get out the scope. The first one was a Long-tailed Duck and at least 5 others were Horned Grebes! Plus another 4 scaup.

Continued to Flint’s and Heard Ponds but nothing beyond swallows at either.

Sunday 4/27: Tern and other stuff.

Monday 4/28: Prospect Hill: ravens looked pretty big in the nest, 5 deer, not a whole lot else.

Tuesday 4/29: First Chimney Swifts at Purgatory Cove but not too much else.

Wednesday 4/16: Tern

Thursday 4/17: Rock Meadow and the duck ponds, lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a gnatcatcher at both.

Friday 4/18: Loon was the only bird on the water at Flint’s. Snipe and not much else at Nine Acre. More of the same at the res.

Saturday 4/19: Late afternoon trip to Great Meadows was fairly quiet, lots of Palms, Gnatcatchers, Yellow-rumps, Tree Swallows, and a few Barns.

Sunday 4/20: Gnatcatcher at Arlington Res was the only new thing there (suppose Common Mergansers too). Nothing much at the duck ponds.

Monday 4/21: BBN was pretty quiet, although I did get 4 year birds for Waltham (Gnatcatcher, Palm, Chipping, Savannah so not exactly exciting).

Tuesday 4/22: Nothing much at Dunback.

Wednesday 4/9: Pine Warbler, 2 Hermit Thrushes, and 3-6 Turkey Vultures at Prospect Hill and a Fox Sparrow at the duck ponds.

Thursday 4/10: Checked conditions at BBN and didn’t see much beyond a Turkey Vulture and a few Swamp Sparrows.

Friday 4/11: Palm Warblers and Barn Swallow at Arlington Res. Savannah Sparrows and nothing else at McClennen Park.

Saturday 4/12: Joined the MBC trip at Horn Pond, pretty quiet. Breeding plumaged Horned Grebe at the res on the way home. The less said about the Purgatory Cove trip in the afternoon, the better.

Sunday 4/13: Only able to get out for a couple minutes and didn’t find much of anything on the Cambridge Res or Flint’s.

Monday 4/14: Didn’t get out.

Tuesday 4/15: Loon at the res plus Arlington Res.

Wednesday 4/3: Walked around Forest Grove while waiting for an oil change. At least 2 Fox Sparrows, 4 scaup, etc. Quick drive through NAC after found fewer geese.

Thursday 4/4: Started the day with a Yellow-rump in the yard.

Decided to explore Bedford a bit (for the project). Started at Fawn Lake where the first two birds out of the car were a phoebe and Osprey. Also a big flock of Ring-necks with some Bufflehead and a Hooded Merganser mixed in, a bluebird, and a few other things. Walked the biking trail from there hoping to find Buehler’s Pond. I think I did, although it was totally frozen. Two Hermit Thrushes on the bike trail and a Barred Owl on a side trail made it worthwhile. From here I tried to find some conservation land along the river without luck and then went to the frozen pond behind Shawsheen cemetery. Finally, I stopped at Waltham St and flushed a snipe.

Friday 4/4: Started at Rock Meadow. Lots of Tree Swallows but not too much else most of the way around. Some scratching just before crossing to BBN had me expecting a Fox Sparrow. Instead, a catbird popped up! BBN was quiet, although I spent a good bit of time talking to Knut instead of birding as we went back to Rock Meadow and couldn’t refind the catbird. Quick check of the res had some scaup, but I didn’t feel like scoping to confirm as Greater. Mourning Cloak flyby along Trapelo.

Saturday 4/5: Confirmed the scaup as Greater plus had a Red-breasted Merganser at the res. Common Loon on Flint’s. Usual at Nine Acre. Tried to check Heard Pond but Pelham Island Rd was flooded so I continued to Forest Grove instead. A Rough-winged among the Tree Swallows and a single scaup were about it. Quick check of Hardy Pond on the way home had another scaup, 20+ Bufflehead, and 3 Ruddy.

Sunday 4/6: Joined the MBC trip to Arlington Res (4 snipe, 2 phoebe, etc). Quick check of the res and Hayden Woods after had nothing of note.

Monday 4/7: Cat Rock Park had a nice Fox Sparrow and I was able to see a raven landing on the Prospect Hill tower.

Tuesday 4/8: Checked the res and Flint’s and had almost nothing at both. Nine Acre was about the same. Spent 30 minutes at the tower at Great Meadows without much worth mentioning. At least one Rusty singing at the end of the street in the afternoon.

Wednesday 3/26: Too cold.

Thursday 3/27: Riverwalk was quiet, as was Moody St. Great Cormorant on the way back though. Pulled in at Forest Grove quickly and had 2 of both cormorants and 2 Tree Swallows over the river.

Friday 3/28: BBN was pretty quiet. Yellow-rump by the cemetery, bluebirds by the parkway and not much else.

Saturday 3/29: Great Meadows again, nothing too exciting beyond a Red-shoulder. Looped School St and Nine Acre without anything of note.

Sunday 3/30: Looped Hardy Pond to School St to Waltham St without anything too exciting.

Monday 3/31: Too cold and wet. But where was that goose the last 4 times I’ve been through Nine Acre?

Tuesday 4/1: Went goose hunting. No Barnacle, 300ish Canadas, a few ducks, and a Pileated. And a yard visitor.

Wednesday 3/19: Forest Grove was mostly quiet. Four Wood Ducks and the firemen practicing water rescues. Quickly checked Newton City Hall but the teal was doing its typical midday disappearing act.

Thursday 3/20: Pintail, eagle, etc at Great Meadows.

Friday 3/21: Dunback had a Fox Sparrow, Woodcock, and I finally tracked down the Yellow-rump I thought I had heard a few weeks ago. Nothing at Waltham St.

Saturday 3/22: Looped through Lincoln, Concord, and Wayland without much more than a Turkey Vulture to show.

Sunday 3/23: Joined the MBC walk at Horn Pond with Winter Wren and Fox Sparrow as highlights. Waltham St and the duck ponds were quiet on the way home.

Monday 3/24: Roamed around looking for geese without much of anything.

Tuesday 3/25: Same except I walked Great Meadows and had a Pileated fly in front of the car by Decordova.

Wednesday 3/12: First Tree Swallows of the year at Great Meadows, plus a few ducks and another Rusty. Also turkeys by Hanscom.

Thursday 3/13: Cold, snowy, and windy.

Friday 3/14: Riverwalk late afternoon had more Greater Scaup (plus 1 Lesser). Pulled in at the field station on the way home and got my first of year Killdeer.

Saturday 3/15: Started at Norumbega where there were lots of ducks, nothing overly exciting. On to Forest Grove. First thing on the river was a Great Cormorant attempting to swallow a giant fish.

Two more cormorants were sitting on the ice and the Red-breasted Merganser was swimming around. Nothing much on the trails. Quick stop at the boat ramp added 2 American Wigeon. Next stop was the Wayland Town Building, nothing much different. Cruised Water Row and Nine Acre Corner without anything. School St had a few larks and a Sharpie buzzed over Rt. 2. Sloshed around Waltham St. a bit and had a couple bluebirds. Back home, the yard was overrun with grackles with a decent number of red-wings and cowbirds mixed in.

Sunday 3/16: Rock Meadow and BBN were quiet.

Monday 3/17: River walk had the scaup continuing and a Hairy (first in about 3 years along here). Tons of Herring Gulls at Moody St but nothing else of note. Quick drive to Purgatory Cove and Norumbega didn’t have anything new (and nothing unusual continuing in a quick scan).

Tuesday 3/18: Wandered Lindentree and Mt. Misery a bit. Reasonably sure I had a northern-type Red-tail but never got a close view. Otherwise blackbirds and bluebirds. Continued to Nine Acre Corner where there were lots of geese, all 3 mergansers, and a few Ring-necks on the river plus a big flock of blackbirds and a Killdeer or two in the fields.