Believe this young Cooper’s is at least the 4th individual Accipiter in the yard this winter.

A week and a half this time as next week will be very different.

Tuesday 1/26: Beaver Brook ponds were flooded but had 2 Hooded Mergansers and a few American Black Ducks.

Wednesday 1/27: Charles, refound the Lesser Scaup and finally had a goldeneye for the year but very quiet otherwise. Not a single gull! Also had at least 25 Mallards buzzing around the neighborhood after sunset.

Thursday 1/28: Nothing of note.

Friday 1/29: Freezing cold but hit Lyman Pond quickly. It was frozen.

Saturday 1/30: Still freezing but checked Dunback briefly. Creeper and not much else.

Sunday 1/31: Plum with MBC. Snowy Owl (even further than last time), Rough-legged Hawk, Horned Lark, Bald Eagle, and lots and lots of ice and wind.

Monday 2/1: Beaver Brook North, nothing of real note.

Tuesday 2/2: Purgatory Cove: Lesser Black-backed Gull (last year’s bird back?) but no eagles.

Wednesday 2/3: Paine: creeper and not much else.

Thursday 2/4: Moody St, nothing much (no dark-mantled gulls at all)

Friday 2/5: Charles: scaup still around, 1 fish crow calling, fairly quiet otherwise.

One more from the weekend.

Common Eider at Jodrey Pier. No idea what is sticking to the bird but I’d appreciate any thoughts.

Pretty self-explanatory, a new project: the gull gallery

Tuesday 1/19: Still snowing, stayed in at work.

Wednesday 1/20: Figured the only place with open trails would be Beaver Brook. Nothing other than Mallards that wouldn’t be in the yard right now (and not the 50 red-wings that flew over the yard in the morning).

Thursday 1/21: Charles by Moody St. Few Common Mergansers, nothing interesting among the gulls.

Friday 1/22: Duck ponds, 4 hoodies in with the mallards.

Saturday 1/23: Went to Cape Ann with my parents and a friend. Most of the usual stuff, missed King Eider and a few of the gulls. Did get 2 Peregrines on the tower, many Harlequins, and 2 Iceland Gulls including this adult:

Sunday 1/24: Stayed in. Great Black-backed Gull was yard bird #26 for the year, lots and lots of the usual stuff in very quick waves.

Monday 1/25: Raining. Quick check of Hardy Pond had a few gulls and some mallards flying around. Did have 6 Red-wings fly over at work.

The snow on Monday created some good opportunities for photographing yard birds including this American Tree Sparrow:

Tuesday 1/12: Checked the duck pond. Bunch of mallards, 1 hairy, not much else in 15 minutes.

Wednesday 1/13: Charles, more of the same plus 5 Fish Crows.

Thursday 1/14: Paine, nothing different.

Friday 1/15: Beaver Brook North, nothing different.

Saturday 1/16: Took a long walk to Lot 1 and then the West Meadow. Two red-wings at Lot 1 were the highlight, although lots of regular stuff.

Sunday 1/17: Checked Rock Meadow in the morning, 2 bluebirds, 2 Carolina Wrens, lots of regular stuff. Led the Waltham Land Trust duck walk along the Charles in the afternoon. All the regular stuff (minus the goldeneye) were there and a Lesser Scaup was a very nice surprise. A big crowd as well.

Monday 1/18: Snowed, stayed in taking photos (see next post).

Tuesday 1/5: Kestrel on the way to work. Charles again at lunch. Carolina Wren and Hairy were about the only things different.

Wednesday 1/6: Cooper’s keeping everything down in the yard before work. Paine at lunch: red-belly, creeper. Sharpie in one of the trees in the courtyard at work.

Thursday 1/7: Charles at Moody St: one tagged gull. Charles at Elm St: nothing different.

Friday 1/8: Waverly Oaks Marsh had nothing so did a quick Screech-Owl run.

Saturday 1/9: Charles again and again nothing different. The Common Merganser below did pose nicely at least. Also had 19 species in the yard.

Sunday 1/10: Pretty much stayed in, quick check for the ravens late in the afternoon (mostly to show someone where they are, saw nothing on the ride).

Monday 1/11: Beaver Brook North: Flicker, 2 Tree Sparrows, Red-belly. New Beaver Brook/Rock Meadow Patch page

Tuesday 12/29: Too cold to go out, plus free lunch at work so no reason to go out.

Wednesday 12/30: Beaver Brook Ponds: Kingfisher (don’t understand, the Charles is totally open and there’s no kingfishers but I’ve found two in the last few days in spots that I could leap over the open water).

Thursday 12/31: Took a quick trip over to the Mystic Lakes (for Great Cormorant and eagles). Not a whole lot there, a quick walk at Sandy Beach had 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, a few hoodies, and a red-wing or two. Saw some ducks on the river at the other rotary on the way home, so pulled in and stopped for a minute. More hoodies and a Ring-neck among the mallards and swans. Started snowing then, but decided to stop at Dunback anyway. Snow was much worse there and I gave up after a brief search of the pines. Only thing of note was a big flock of White-throats foraging about 15 feet up in the pines.

Friday 1/1: Goldfinch for bird #1. Did the BBC trip, Laura’s report is up. Highlights: Ipswich Sparrow, Snowy Owl, Glaucous Gull, flock of Razorbills.

Saturday 1/2: Basically snowed in but ran out for a few minutes after hearing that a raven was on the deer carcass at the Cambridge Res. Took a bit of searching to find the carcass, but the bird was still there (no spot to stop though so no pictures).

Sunday 1/3: Snowed in again, nothing different for the yard but enough to be entertaining.

Monday 1/4: Charles at lunch for the Barrow’s Goldeneye that has reappeared. No goldeneye at all but 2 swans, 7 ring-necks, and a few Hooded and Common Mergansers made it a worthwhile trip.

Once again, here’s lists for the year. Bold is yard, italics is new to Waltham.

Birds

1. Canada Goose (1/2, Charles)
2. Mute Swan (1/2, Charles)
3. Wood Duck (3/30, Leitha)
4. American Wigeon (3/15, yard/HP)
5. American Black Duck (1/2, Charles)
6. Mallard (1/2, Charles)
7. Green-winged Teal (12/5, Hardy Pond)
8. Northern Shoveler (10/9, Hardy Pond)
9. Ring-necked Duck (1/2, Charles)
10. Black Scoter (10/24, Cambridge Res)
11. Bufflehead (2/15, Charles)
12. Common Goldeneye (1/2, Charles)
13. Barrow’s Goldeneye (1/2, Charles)
14. Hooded Merganser (1/2, Charles)
15. Common Merganser (1/2, Charles)
16. Ruddy Duck (4/3, Hardy Pond)
17. Wild Turkey (4/15, Met State)
18. Pied-billed Grebe (10/13, Purgatory Cove)
19. Red-necked Grebe (11/1, Cambridge Res)
20. Double-crested Cormorant (4/19, Charles)
21. Great Blue Heron (1/2, Charles)
22. Great Egret (8/11, Trapelo & 128)
23. Green Heron (6/25, yard)
24. Turkey Vulture (3/27, Prospect Hill)
25. Osprey (4/5, Bentley)
26. Sharp-shinned Hawk (2/22, Leitha)
27. Cooper’s Hawk (1/3, yard)
28. Red-tailed Hawk (1/2, Met State)
29. American Kestrel (10/19, Leitha)
30. American Coot (1/26, Charles)
31. Killdeer (3/26, UMass Field Station)
32. Spotted Sandpiper (6/2, Waverly Oaks Marsh)
33. Solitary Sandpiper (5/10, Met State)
34. American Woodcock (3/18, Lot 1)
35. Ring-billed Gull (1/2, Lexington St)
36. Herring Gull (1/2, Charles)
37. Iceland Gull (2/16, Charles)
38. Lesser Black-backed Gull (2/25, Charles)
39. Great Black-backed Gull (1/26, Charles)
40. Rock Pigeon (1/2, Main St)
41. Mourning Dove (1/2, yard)
42. Yellow-billed Cuckoo (5/12, Met State)
43. Eastern Screech-Owl (2/13)
44. Great Horned Owl (1/2, Met State)
45. Barred Owl (10/22, Prospect Hill)
46. Common Nighthawk (8/20, Trapelo)
47. Chimney Swift (5/4, Beaver Brook)
48. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (9/1, Paine)
49. Belted Kingfisher (8/18, Hardy Pond)
50. Red-bellied Woodpecker (1/2, yard)
51. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (10/12, Met State)
52. Downy Woodpecker (1/1, yard)
53. Hairy Woodpecker (2/8, Met State)
54. Pileated Woodpecker (kinda new) (8/31, Prospect Hill)
55. Northern Flicker (1/21, Paine)
56. Eastern Wood-Pewee (5/22, Met State)
57. Least Flycatcher (9/1, Paine)
58. Willow Flycatcher (6/2, Waverly Oaks Marsh)
59. Eastern Phoebe (3/27, Prospect Hill)
60. Great Crested Flycatcher (4/30, Prospect Hill)
61. Eastern Kingbird (4/29, Beaver Brook)
62. Blue-headed Vireo (4/27, Beaver Brook)
63. Warbling Vireo (5/7, Hardy Pond)
64. Red-eyed Vireo (5/10, Met State)
65. Blue Jay (1/2, Met State)
66. American Crow (1/3, yard)
67. Fish Crow (4/25, yard)
68. Common Raven (5/25, Prospect Hill)
69. Northern Rough-winged Swallow (4/19, Charles)
70. Tree Swallow (4/11, Hardy Pond)
71. Barn Swallow (5/7, Hardy Pond)
72. Black-capped Chickadee (1/1, yard)
73. Tufted Titmouse (1/2, Met State)
74. White-breasted Nuthatch (1/1, yard)
75. Red-breasted Nuthatch (11/16, Prospect Hill)
76. Brown Creeper (1/2, Met State)
77. Carolina Wren (1/2, yard)
78. House Wren (4/28, Met State)
79. Winter Wren (3/15, Met State)
80. Golden-crowned Kinglet (1/8, Prospect Hill)
81. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (4/18, Met State)
82. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (4/30, Prospect Hill)
83. Eastern Bluebird (11/1, Cambridge Res)
84. Swainson’s Thrush (5/10, Met State)
85. Hermit Thrush (4/18, Met State)
86. Wood Thrush (5/10, Met State)
87. American Robin (1/2, streets)
88. Gray Catbird (4/28, Met State)
89. Northern Mockingbird (1/1, yard)
90. Brown Thrasher (4/28, Met State)
91. European Starling (1/2, streets)
92. Cedar Waxwing (2/16, Charles)
93. Blue-winged Warbler (5/12, Met State)
94. Tennessee Warbler (5/12, Met State)
95. Nashville Warbler (4/28, Met State)
96. Northern Parula (4/28, Met State)
97. Yellow Warbler (5/4, Beaver Brook)
98. Chestnut-sided Warbler (5/2, Paine)
99. Magnolia Warbler (5/19, Paine)
100. Cape May Warbler (10/1, Prospect Hill)
101. Black-throated Blue Warbler (5/3, Paine)
102. Yellow-rumped Warbler (4/29, Beaver Brook)
103. Black-throated Green Warbler (4/30, Prospect Hill)
104. Blackburnian Warbler (5/12, Met State)
105. Pine Warbler (4/15, Paine)
106. Prairie Warbler (9/1, Met State)
107. Palm Warbler (4/18, Met State)
108. Blackpoll Warbler (5/19, Paine)
109. Black-and-white Warbler (4/28, Met State)
110. American Redstart (5/11, Prospect Hill)
111. Worm-eating Warbler (5/25)
112. Ovenbird (5/2, Paine)
113. Northern Waterthrush (5/8, Beaver Brook)
114. Common Yellowthroat (5/6, Leitha)
115. Hooded Warbler (5/14, Prospect Hill)
116. Wilson’s Warbler (5/12, Met State)
117. Scarlet Tanager (5/8, Prospect Hill)
118. Eastern Towhee (5/25, Prospect Hill)
119. American Tree Sparrow (1/1, yard)
120. Field Sparrow (4/14, Met State)
121. Chipping Sparrow (4/15, Paine)
122. Savannah Sparrow (4/24, Beaver Brook)
123. Song Sparrow (1/2, yard)
124. Lincoln’s Sparrow (10/12, Met State)
125. Swamp Sparrow (4/18, Met State)
126. White-throated Sparrow (1/2, yard)
127. Dark-eyed Junco (1/2, yard)
128. Northern Cardinal (1/1, yard)
129. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (4/28, Met State)
130. Indigo Bunting (5/12, Met State)
131. Bobolink (9/25, Met State)
132. Red-winged Blackbird (2/15, Charles)
133. Brown-headed Cowbird (3/28, Paine)
134. Common Grackle (2/22, yard)
135. Baltimore Oriole (4/27, Leitha)
136. House Finch (1/1, yard)
137. White-winged Crossbill (2/8, Met State)
138. Pine Siskin (3/22, Paine)
139. American Goldfinch (1/1, yard)
140. House Sparrow (1/1, yard)

(56 yard, 1 missing from total for now)

Mammals

1. Opossum (2/28, yard)
2. Coyote (1/5, yard)
3. Gray Squirrel (1/2, yard)
4. Eastern Chipmunk (2/25, yard)
5. Eastern Cottontail (1/31 (actually earlier), yard)
6. White-tailed Deer (2/14, Cambridge Res)

Butterflies

1. Silver-spotted Skipper (Epagyreus clarus) (5/22, Met State)
2. Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades) (6/20, Prospect Hill)
3. Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
4. Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus) (5/21, Met State)
5. Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) (5/2, Paine)
6. Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
7. Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) (7/3, yard)
8. European Skipper (6/20, Prospect Hill)
9. Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea) (5/10, Met State)
10. Indian Skipper (Hespeia sassacus) (6/1, Met State)
11. Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
12. Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles) (8/15, yard)
13. Northern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia egremet) (7/20, Prospect Hill)
14. Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna) (7/5, Paine)
15. Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok) (5/22, Met State)
16. Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
17. Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
18. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
19. Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) (5/12, Paine)
20. Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) (4/28, Paine)
21. Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) (5/26, UMass)
22. Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) (4/17, Bentley)
23. American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) (5/12, Paine)
24. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) (7/5, Paine)
25. Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) (5/1, Prospect Hill)
26. Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) (5/8, Prospect Hill)
27. Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) (5/10, Met State)
28. Cherry Gall Azure (Celastrina serotina) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
29. Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) (7/5, Paine)
30. Monarch (Danaus plexippus) (6/3, Charles)
31. Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) (6/1, Met State)
32. Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
33. American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) (4/28, Met State)
34. Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) (7/23, Paine)
35. Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) (3/17, Met State)
36. Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) (4/5, Paine Estate)
37. Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) (9/23, Prospect Hill)
38. Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) (5/20, Met State)
39. Common Ringlet (Coenonympha tullia inornata) (8/14, Prospect Hill)
40. Little Wood Satyr (Megisto cymela) (5/22, Met State)
41. Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) (7/20, Prospect Hill)

Dragonflies

1. Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
2. Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis) (6/26, Charles)
3. Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
4. Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum) (8/18, Hardy Pond)
5. Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile) (7/27, yard)
6. Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) (6/26, Charles)
7. Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum) (5/22, yard)
8. Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) (7/5, yard)
9. Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) (5/20, Met State)
10. Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) (5/8, yard)
11. Lilypad Forktail (Ischnura kellicotti) (8/26, Purgatory Cove)
12. Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) (8/10, Met State)
13. Green-striped Darner (Aeshna verticalis) (9/18, Met State)
14. Common Green Darner (Anax junius) (5/2, Paine)
15. Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata) (5/11, Prospect Hill)
16. Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
17. Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) (5/19, Prospect Hill)
18. Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps) (7/13, Charles)
19. Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) (7/27, Paine)
20. Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) (8/18, Hardy Pond)
21. Common Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) (7/5, Paine)
22. Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
23. Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) (7/28, Charles)
24. Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) (7/20, Prospect Hill)
25. Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) (5/25, Prospect Hill)
26. Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata) (5/16, Prospect Hill)
27. Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) (7/5, Paine)
28. Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) (7/5, Paine)
29. Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens) (8/10, WHS)
30. Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) (7/5, Paine)
31. ‘Ruby’ Meadowhawk (Sympetrum rubicundulum/internum, probably internum) (7/5, Paine)
32. Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) (8/10, Met State)
33. Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) (8/17, Met State)
34. Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata) (8/18, Hardy Pond)