weekinreview – Page 59 – brewster's linnet . com

WIR 7/3-7/9

Wednesday 7/3: Went to Horn Pond Mountain for my hairstreak fix. Found good numbers and everything but Acadian. Also had 2 ravens on one of the towers.

Thursday 7/4: Went to BBN earlyish. Doe and fawn, Scarlet Tanager feeding young (cowbird unfortunately), Orchard Oriole, towhee, Mocha Emeralds, and a Unicorn Clubtail made it worthwhile.

Friday 7/5: Great Meadows had a Unicorn Clubtail. Showed Alan the Squannacook after, it was much more comfortable out there for most of the morning. Highlights included the jewelwing show, a posing Dragonhunter, male and female Eastern Least Clubtails, and a distant Common Sanddragon.

Saturday 7/6: Nothing outdoors.

Sunday 7/7: Eventually wandered to Lone Tree Hill where the humidity and afternoon heat were brutal. Very few butterflies. One Aeshna and a couple Somatochlora had me going back for a net but nothing came close.

Monday 7/8: BBN again. More of the same, lots of Spot-winged Gliders and skippers. Ducks ponds quickly too, nothing exciting there.

Tuesday 7/9: Paine for a change, nothing to say I should go more often.

WIR 6/26-7/2

Wednesday 6/26: Started at Great Meadows, which was hot and quiet. Checked St. Anne’s fields again as I was debating a heard only flycatcher yesterday. Still unsure but likely just a Willow. Flushed a woodcock on the way in though. Another (well likely the same immature) Broad-wing over the yard.

Thursday 6/27: Kestrel and displaying Cooper’s at Dunback (plus a few million mosquitos).

Friday 6/28: People generally require you to do things like lunch on your last day of work.

Saturday 6/29: Long, disappointing day.

Sunday 6/30: Rock Meadow and Lone Tree Hill for bugs mostly. One Somatochlora sp, a few hairstreaks, and an Orchard Oriole.

Monday 7/1: Purgatory Cove had 3 BC Night-Herons and not much else. Lots of mosquitoes at Forest Grove. More night-herons along the river walk plus lots of Powdered and Blue-fronted Dancers.

Tuesday 7/2: Eventually wandered to Prospect Hill for butterflies even though it was still cloudy. Good numbers, although nothing exciting there. One good bird though with a singing Winter Wren down the Pine Ledges Trail. And a very nice dragonfly with a Mocha Emerald landing (picture here if I hadn’t drained my camera battery accidentally overnight). Circled the res on the way home and there was an eagle in the normal tree.

WIR 6/19-6/25

Wednesday 6/19: Spent the day odeing. Started trying to find a good access point for Ashby WMA but gave up and went to Townsend Hill instead. Very quiet there, best things were a couple Petite Emeralds and a Barn Swallow grabbing a Four-spotted Skimmer. Moved on to the Squannacook, which was rather high. Add in that it had clouded over a bit and there wasn’t much around. A few Stream Cruisers, some Racket-tailed Emeralds, and a Hylogomphus sp that got away. On to Arched Bridge in Dunstable, where there wasn’t much at the stream (only 2 jewelwings!). The path out to the quarry was a bit overgrown and it was fairly quiet, although the usual field birds were singing. A very worn elfin on the way out appeared to be an Eastern Pine. A quick run around the Cranberry Bog was very quiet but pushed the day’s total to 38+.

Thursday 6/20: Caught up on paperwork.

Friday 6/21: Baby raccoons and not much else at the duck ponds.

Saturday 6/22 and Sunday 6/23: DSA meeting in CT/RI, will write up something sooner or later.

Monday 6/24: Busy with other stuff.

Tuesday 6/25: Went out to Lincoln and enjoyed lots of Bobolinks at Farm Meadow.

WIR 6/12-6/18

Wednesday 6/12: Nothing doing.

Thursday 6/13: MNHP survey finally. Veeries and little else though, probably a little too late.

Friday 6/14: Another(?) Broad-wing over the house.

Saturday 6/15: Joined the Menotomy walk from Met State to Paine, didn’t see much beyond a juv Swamp Sparrow.

Sunday 6/16: Joined at ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Mostly the same, the one interesting thing got away.

Monday 6/17: Nothing exciting at Prospect Hill.

Tuesday 6/18: Started with Rock Meadow and BBN (couple Blue-wings, a Redstart, not a whole lot else), then went to Great Meadows for the Sora show.

WIR 6/5-6/11

Wednesday 6/5: Arrowhead Spiketail at the duck ponds.

Thursday 6/6: Swamp Darner, Spot-winged Glider, and Pepper-and-salt Skipper at BBN.

Friday 6/7: Nothing at Hardy, Great Black-backed Gull at the res barely qualifies as interesting.

Saturday 6/8: Lazy day.

Sunday 6/9: Cranberry Bog again.

Monday 6/10: Black-crowned Night-Heron and Eastern Wood-Pewee at Forest Grove.

Tuesday 6/11: Too rainy.

WIR 5/29-6/4

Wednesday 5/29: Nothing on Hardy or the res.

Thursday 5/30: Great Meadows early, nothing too exciting. Wood Ducklings leaving a box was the best thing. Nothing too exciting at Prospect Hill either.

Friday 5/31: Dusted and Indian Skippers at BBN.

Saturday 6/1: Went exploring in Townsend for a bit. Caught lots and lots of Common Baskettails and had a few other things. Then went and chased a pelican that had apparently flown off half an hour before I started heading that way.

Sunday 6/2: Led a BBC trip to Great Meadows. Highlights were Least Bittern, American Coot, and a Mink stalking several families of Virginia Rail.

(Click through for more photos)

Went to the Carlisle Cranberry Bog after.

Monday 6/3: Orchard Oriole singing at Hardy Pond.

Tuesday 6/4: Usual birds (including ravens) and bugs at Prospect Hill.

WIR 5/22-5/28

Wednesday 5/22: Went to Rock Meadow and BBN. Good numbers of warblers including a Blackburnian, at least two Black-billed Cuckoos, and a few other things but my main highlight was a singing Alder Flycatcher, which is Waltham #204.

Thursday 5/23: Wandered to Mt. Auburn eventually. Worked for thrushes in the Dell with minimal success, then took a short wander where I found 2 Turkey Vultures in trees. Also an Indigo Bunting and late-ish Yellow-rump but struck out on the Mourning. Quick trip around the Cambridge Res had 2 Common Loons.

Friday 5/24: Quick loop of Prospect Hill had the adult ravens down near the start of the road, a few warblers (BT Green, Parula, Ovenbird were the most interesting), and 4 Indigo Buntings. Nothing on Cambridge Res or Flint’s Pond. Got a little brighter out, so continued to Great Meadows and had a beaver swimming right below the new platform and first Blue Dashers of the year.

Saturday 5/25: Cruised Cambridge Res, Flint’s Pond, Heard Pond, Purgatory Cove, etc without finding anything.

Sunday 5/26: Tried again for storm-blown birds. Lots of swallows including Bank at Heard and Hardy but nothing else of note.

Monday 5/27: Dunback had lots of the usual breeders (including bluebirds) but the only things resembling migrants were Redstarts. Quick stop at Hanscom got meadowlark and a Broad-wing.

Tuesday 5/28: Harvester at the duck ponds. Very good nighthawk show at Great Meadows at dusk but no Cave Swallow.

WIR 5/15-5/21

Wednesday 5/15: Prospect Hill, checked the view towards Polaroid without much (Rough-winged Swallow was a likely nester though). Quick walk to the water towers added a redstart.

Thursday 5/16: Rock Meadow before work, nothing unexpected. Forest Grove was pretty quiet beyond yet another Magnolia.

Friday 5/17: Spotted Sandpiper at Hardy Pond early. Veery and a few warblers at Paine plus a Stream Cruiser. A late White-throat in the yard was the first bird for birdathon.

Saturday 5/18: Birdathon/MBC big day. Highlights included a Great Egret at the Vine Brook marsh, Sora at Great Meadows, an Upland Sandpiper right next to Virginia Rd, and a late Ruddy on the Cambridge Res. Miscounted slightly and ended the day on 99, would have dug up one more if I had been aware.

Sunday 5/19: Pretty lazy after running around on Saturday. Eventually went to Dunback where I had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, kestrel, Willow Flycatchers, and a handful of warblers.

Monday 5/20: Took some vacation time this week. Started at Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove, where a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was (surprisingly) new for the river for me but little else. I moved on to Nine Acre Corner and watched Barn Swallows gather mud until a Cliff buzzed through. Made a brief stop at Cat Rock Park on the way back, but it was so muggy I gave up quickly (did get first Lancet Clubtail of the season).

Tuesday 5/21: Twitch. Spent some time at Hellcat after and had 11 warblers in the couple of pines just outside the parking lot (including Canada and Cape May) plus a few more elsewhere on the trails.

WIR 5/8-5/14

Wednesday 5/8: Nothing exciting at Purgatory Cove (cygnets, few swallows, Great Crested Flycatcher did get me to 100 in Waltham this year).

Thursday 5/9: Rather heavy rain made things difficult (although better at noon than at 11:30 when the fire alarm went off) but Common Loon and some late(ish) ducks (Bufflehead, Ruddy, maybe a Ring-necked) at Cambridge Res.

Friday 5/10: Had to go to the RMV, so took a half day off and started at Mt. Auburn (BT Blue in the yard first actually). Warblers everywhere (12? species, mostly Black-and-white, BT Blue, BT Green, Parula) plus a few other things. After zipping through the line, I stopped at Purgatory Cove and saw nothing beyond a few Fragile Forktails.

Saturday 5/11: Cambridge Res was just about birdless (although a few things singing along the road weren’t bad). North end had 2 Orchard Orioles. Two Broad-wings over Busa but little else at Arlington Res.

Sunday 5/12: Mt. Auburn walk again. Something like 18 warblers including Bay-breasted and Blackburnian plus a hummingbird and Least Flycatcher. Once the rain cleared, I went to Prospect Hill. Fledgling ravens plus BT Blue, BT Green, Magnolia, and Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, and a Painted Lady. The Black Vulture that went over later would have been nice though.

Monday 5/13: Ring-necked Duck still at Hardy Pond, nothing of note at Rock Meadow.

Tuesday 5/14: Lots of birds at BBN, 9 warblers and a few other things. Solitary Sandpiper (finally) at the duck ponds, along with some baby Wood Ducks.

WIR 5/1-5/7

Wednesday 5/1: Towhee was a third yard record to start the day. Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos all along the Charles plus a Hermit Thrush and a few Yellow-rumps.

Thursday 5/2: Juvenal’s Duskywing and not much else at Hayden Woods, think I can give up on that being a potential boghaunter site.

Friday 5/3: Left the house a couple minutes early and picked up a Common Loon flying over as I stepped out of the door for another new yard bird. Prospect Hill had first tiger swallowtail and whiteface sp (probably Hudsonian).

Saturday 5/4: Plan was to find some boghaunters today. Since it wouldn’t be warm enough early, I headed to Heard Pond to check for birds first. Nothing too exciting (a handful of Rusty Blackbirds, a Parula, etc), so I moved on to the Wayland Community Gardens. A House Wren (one back home too), a Henry’s Elfin, a raccoon, and a Common Yellowthroat made up most of the good stuff here.

Getting warm, so I headed to Assabet River. Ovenbirds and towhees calling all over and a Northern Waterthrush was vocal but hidden. No boghaunters by the end of the Patrol Road, so I took the first wooded trail back. I had a quick view of a Beaverpond (presumably) Baskettail and was debating running to Oxbow as I reached the short trail that cuts back to the road. Halfway down, there was a bit of movement and I quickly saw rings. Wasn’t a great spot for photos, but I think this one came out pretty good:

Back on the road, I worked my way out (and saw a second boghaunter and baskettail and heard another waterthrush).

With no need to go further west, I decided to head to the Charles. Lots of swallows opposite Purgatory Cove and some Fish Crows flew over (finally). A Great Crested Flycatcher and a Gray Catbird were calling near the Knob at Flowed Meadow, but otherwise it was fairly quiet. A Wood Duck apparently at a nest hole was interesting though.

Sunday 5/5: Started with a long walk at BBN. Blue-winged Warbler was in, as were orioles but fairly quiet otherwise. Went to Great Meadows with parents after, nothing exciting but too nice out to complain.

Monday 5/6: Awake early, so I went to Beaver Brook in the fog. Just about nothing there and I have no idea why I went out (although it worked out last time). Duck ponds at lunch had a Rough-winged Swallow and out-of-place Pine Warbler among other things.

Tuesday 5/7: River walk was fairly quiet, single Yellow-rump and Palm were the only nonbreeders.