weekinreview – Page 69 – brewster's linnet . com

WIR 9/14-9/20

Wednesday 9/14: Purgatory Cove had both Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal but no sandpipers.

Thursday 9/15: BBN before work: lots of Blackpolls, lots of things in awful light. Broad-winged at Prospect Hill at lunch and not much else there.

Friday 9/16: Duck ponds: Ovenbird, Parula, Black-and-white, Yellowthroat, couple more got away. Also big flock of geese overhead. Driving down Lexington St later, single nighthawk over the Wal-Lex.

Saturday 9/17: Started at Dunback. Not quite as busy as I hoped but pretty good with 8 species of warbler including Blackburnian and first of fall BT Blue, several Broad-wings and Sharpies, and Philadelphia and Blue-headed Vireo. Stopped at Cambridge Res on the way home, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, Great Egret, Osprey, Semipalmated Plover, 2 Green Heron. Afternoon walk around Arlington Res failed to turn up the Dickcissel but did get 4 shovelers.

Sunday 9/18: Rock Meadow early: big flock of warblers at the entrance including 2 Parula, Redstart, Blackpoll, Black-and-white, BT Green. Gardens had more BT Green and a couple Lincoln’s Sparrows. Looped around, finding a Coyote and not much else. Return trip through the gardens found more Parula, Red-eyed Vireos, and Indigo Bunting. River Walk was quiet (Kingfisher, Spotted Sandpiper) but 4 Pectoral Sandpipers at Purgatory Cove were new for me in Waltham (195). Also a few Semipalmated, Least, and Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Green Herons, and a single Blue-winged Teal. (And most likely a Rusty Blackbird that I skipped over as brownish grackle, oops).

Monday 9/19: Prospect Hill had nothing beyond a big flock of grackles.

Tuesday 9/20: Hardy Pond in the rain, still swifts and swallows.

WIR 9/7-9/13

Wednesday 9/7: Purgatory Cove again in the heavy rain: kingfisher, egret, 1 green heron.

Thursday 9/8: Duck ponds had nothing.

Friday 9/9: Prospect Hill: Veery, Prairie Warbler, 2 American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Scarlet Tanager. Five nighthawks around the corner around 5PM.

Saturday 9/10: Farm Meadow in Lincoln: Parula, BT Green, Blackpoll, Redstart, 2 Red-eyed Vireo (local family?), 2 Kingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2 Indigo Bunting. Wayland Community Gardens were pretty quiet, nighthawk and Rose-breasted Grosbeak were about it.

Sunday 9/11: Plum (after planning on going all week on Saturday, rather jealous of the Gull-billed Tern): Buff-breasted and Stilt Sandpipers, Hudsonian Godwit, American Golden-Plovers (3), Blackburnian, 2(?) Eurasian Wigeon. Godwit was #250 for Essex county.

Monday 9/12: BBN at lunch: standard warblers and vireos. Insects good with a Canada Darner and a Mocha Emerald landing. More or less managed a couple photos of the emerald. Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing around the corner before work.

Tuesday 9/13: Paine was quiet.

WIR 8/24-8/30

Wednesday 8/24: Pretty much nothing. Missed one nighthawk over the yard.

Thursday 8/25: BBN was very quiet.

Friday 8/26: Canada, Magnolia, 4+ Redstarts at Prospect Hill. About 6 nighthawks over the yard plus many Chimney Swifts way up high.

Saturday 8/27: Went out with the Athol Bird and Nature Club. Once the sun came out, we got a few dragonflies including a good number of American Rubyspots and two Arrow Clubtails. Rubyspot appears to be ode #100 for me in MA.

Sunday 8/28: Did not find any hurricane-related birds on Hardy Pond (Bank Swallow was decent but wouldn’t cooperate and get on the yard list).

Monday 8/29: Started with an early check of various water without finding much (missed eagle, greater yellowlegs, etc at Cambridge Res). Got to work and no power, come back at noon. Ran to Purgatory Cove where there were a bunch of shorebirds including a Semipalmated Sandpiper among the Leasts. Several hawks bothering them including a big Cooper’s and a possible Red-shouldered. Got a phone call saying no work for the day, so headed out again and checked the Mystic Lakes (1 Least Sandpiper).

Tuesday 8/30: Still no power at work, so hit Dunback. First of fall Blackpoll and Prairie Warblers were good but the highlight was a Northern Waterthrush that chased a robin across the large field. Power restored, but I ran to the duck ponds at lunch and found them draining rapidly, apparently from hurricane damage. Hopefully good shorebirds soon.

WIR 8/17-8/23

Wednesday 8/17: Rock Meadow was pretty quiet. Hummer, family of mockingbirds, and not much else.

Thursday 8/18: BBN before work was pretty quiet. Bunch of pewees, a hummingbird (site tick), a redstart, and a couple orioles. Duck ponds at lunch were dead. Big flight of robins and grackles over the house at night (robins south, grackles northwest) plus a single nighthawk and 2 shorebirds (snipe?). Bad note was a dead screech-owl on Miriam.

Friday 8/19: Paine was pretty quiet at lunch other than a Turkey Vulture in the trees by the vernal pool. Got out of work a little early and came home to find a family of turkeys on the neighbor’s lawn, yard bird #97!

Saturday 8/20: Dunback had a quick run of the same warblers (Chestnut-sided, Redstart, Canada) plus an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a Northern Waterthrush, and a Broad-winged Hawk. Waltham St. Fields had nothing.

Sunday 8/21: BBN in the morning: long walk for a redstart and waterthrush. Green Heron down the street in the afternoon.

Monday 8/22: Purgatory Cove had about the same. Pewee with the kingbirds down the street.

Tuesday 8/23: Duck ponds in the morning: Black-and-white, redstart, hummingbird. Prospect Hill at lunch: hummingbird, Gray Hairstreak. One nighthawk at night (and I apparently missed two more).

WIR 8/10-8/16

Wednesday 8/10: Paine was quiet, although I only worked the downhill portion for a change,

Thursday 8/11: Walked through Forest Grove with next to nothing. Took a couple seconds to scan Purgatory Cove on the way out and had 2 Solitary and 3 Least Sandpipers along with a Great Egret. Should have spent all my time there.

Friday 8/12: BBN, ended up chasing dragonflies. Caught a female Clamp-tipped Emerald, saw a few more emeralds, an Aeshna, a Common Green Darner, and probably a Dragonhunter.

Saturday 8/13: South Beach

Sunday 8/14: Still sore from yesterday but a quick run to north end of the Cambridge Res and Purgatory Cove didn’t have anything new at either.

Monday 8/15: Hoped for storm blown birds at Hardy Pond and the Cambridge Res. Found a bunch of cormorants and not much else.

Tuesday 8/16: Prospect Hill: Red-eyed Vireo, Redstart, Canada Warbler, 1-2 Chestnut-sided, 1-2 Pine. Also a probable Broad-wing down the street before work.

WIR 8/3-8/9

Wednesday 8/3: Lyman Pond had kingfishers (maybe 3), lots of Wood Ducks, and not much else. No mud flat yet. Three night-herons flew over the street on an evening walk (would have been a yard bird if I was closer to home, hopefully they’ll repeat that tomorrow).

Thursday 8/4: Charles at lunch. Powdered Dancers were new for there and a surprise. Tons of Blue-fronted and a couple Variable made for a 3 dancer day. Not much else though.

Friday 8/5: Purgatory Cove: 3 Green Heron, 1 Solitary, Spotted (maybe 2), and Least Sandpipers, tons of Barn Swallows on the wires.

Saturday 8/6: Started at Rock Meadow where I finally confirmed Willow Flycatcher (thanks Bob). On to the Beaver Brook ponds where I missed a redstart but not much else. Later I checked the Cambridge Res (nothing new) and Fort Pond Brook (first Lance-tipped Darner of the year).

Sunday 8/7: Too nasty to go out. Did have a Broad-winged fly over my uncle’s house in NH.

Monday 8/8: Checked Cambridge Res again. One Killdeer, a few mallards and geese.

Tuesday 8/9: Duck ponds again. Green Heron still around but not much else. Sunday’s rain got rid of all the mud. Interesting turtle, picture soon.

WIR 7/27-8/2

Wednesday 7/27: Paine was pretty quiet (other than people).

Thursday 7/28: Purgatory Cove had a bunch of herons including 4+ Green and a Black-crowned Night. A few shorebirds included a Least. Probably more if I had time to go through them properly.

Friday 7/29: Prospect Hill back side had nothing different.

Saturday 7/30: Went to Beaver Brook. Reidentified the waterthrush as a Louisiana! Also Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Sunday 7/31: Started at Great Meadows which was as quiet as I’ve seen it lately (no Least, 1 Solitary). Did have a couple Green Heron and a decent raptor show. Cambridge Res had 1 Least, 1 Spotted, 1 Solitary. Purgatory Cove had some apparent Vesper Bluets but not much else (that I could see, something occasionally popped up from the behind the vegetation for a split second). Quick stop at Moody St added Great Black-backed Gull to the month list.

Monday 8/1: Paine was fairly quiet. Wood Thrush, House Wren, and Epione Underwing moth were highlights.

Tuesday 8/2: BBN was very quiet.

WIR 7/20-7/26

Wednesday 7/20: Back side of Prospect Hill. Pretty much the usual. First Autumn Meadowhawk of the year.

Thursday 7/21: Duck ponds in the heat. Started with a Green Heron on the left pond. Scan across the right and see what appears to be a merganser. Worked over that way and found 2 juvenal Hooded Mergansers among the Mallards! Although I initially thought they were possible breeders here, I had long given up on the idea. While trying to get a photo of them (not worth showing), a Northern Waterthrush popped up behind me (first southbound one in the state?). After finishing with the mergansers, I scanned a bit more and came up with a Solitary and a Spotted Sandpiper. Not bad at all.

Friday 7/22: Too hot. Out to Ethan’s after work where I caught a couple Clamp-tipped Emeralds.

Saturday 7/23: Eventually got out after the rain stopped. Tully Lake had a few odes including several Dragonhunters. Lots of butterflies at Joe’s. Back at Ethan’s, a female American Emerald was cruising around but not much else.

Sunday 7/24: Great Meadows in the morning: several Solitary and Least Sandpipers, 2 Great Egret, Green Heron, kestrel, etc. Tried to look for the mergansers again on the way home but there were too many cars to park.

Monday 7/25: Didn’t get out.

Tuesday 7/26: Duck ponds again, pretty much the same (minus 1 merganser and Solitary Sandpiper). Went back in the afternoon as the waterthrush looked pretty white but called like a Northern. Merganser was more cooperative as well.

WIR 7/13-7/19

Wednesday 7/13: Prospect Hill at lunch. Just about birdless but a few Dun Skippers and 2 Azure Bluets made up for it. Got all excited over a hairstreak on the way back. Thought it was too big for a Gray and must have been an Oak but pulled up photos on the Mass Butterfly Club’s website and it was obviously a Gray. It then started basking with the wings open which would have eliminated any confusion immediately. Still nice and not one I see at the park a lot.

Thursday 7/14: Nothing much.

Friday 7/15: Duck ponds: kingfisher and lots of waxwings were about it.

Saturday 7/16: Pelagic

Sunday 7/17: Tired.

Monday 7/18: Purgatory Cove: lots of Wood Ducks, young Barn Swallows, and what appeared to be a sleeping raccoon (or two).

Tuesday 7/19: BBN had lots of dragonflies and butterflies including Mocha Emerald and many Appalachian Brown and Common Wood-Nymph. Also had a thrasher a little out of place in the middle area (wandering from the other side of the hill or further away?).

WIR 6/23-7/1

Extending a bit to fit the travel schedule.

Thursday 6/23: Didn’t do much.

Friday 6/24: Still not much.

Saturday 6/25: Red-bellied in the yard.

Sunday 6/26: Walked around the Cambridge Res and office parks without much. Prospect Hill for a bit after. Highlight was a Leptogaster robber fly.

Monday 6/27: Cat Rock Park in Weston, need to go there more. Nothing particularly of note though.

Tuesday 6/28: BBN was too buggy but a Cooper’s was nice. McLean was mowed, had what looked like a Mocha Emerald or two but couldn’t get a good enough view.

Wednesday 6/29: Horn Pond Mountain in the afternoon. Eventually turned up all the expected hairstreaks beyond Acadian but very little else.

Thursday 6/30: Nothing really.

Friday 7/1: Actually worked a full day. Charles at lunch was quiet beyond the first Blue-fronted Dancers of the year.