Category: nature

Wednesday 9/3: Arlington Res has finally been drained a bit, usual shorebirds so far plus GW Teal. Did have the same injured Least I had at BBN the other day. Bobolink was about it at the farm. Checked the duck ponds on the way home and had 2 Solitary and a Broad-wing.

Thursday 9/4: Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, raccoon, woodchuck at BBN.

Friday 9/5: No gallinule at Horn Pond and not too much else. Bunch of Least, 1 Yellow, 3 hummers, 2 GC Flycatchers.

Saturday 9/6: Ashland State Park had basically zero migrants. Got six fairly common things to pass 50 for town #51 at least. Soccer game at Weston Pond in Holliston so skipped that and went to the bike trail. Had to park way down, so added a bunch of walking that wasn’t in much habitat. Eventually made it to the swampy section but it was pretty quiet. Managed six here as well plus FOY Spotted Spreadwing. Decided to give the pond another pass and there was no one left. Gave it a quick walk and saw all the same birds I had at the last stop (plus Wood Duck and Canada Goose), so finished five short of 50.

Sunday 9/7: Nothing in the rain at the res, Flint’s, or Hardy.

Monday 9/8: Baird’s was still at Hobbs Brook, usual shorebirds otherwise. Walked up to Shade St and had very little on a loop but doubled back down the fire road and found a small flock of warblers including a Nashville and Magnolia.

Tuesday 9/9: Rock Meadow had a pile of waxwings, a couple Purple Finches, a few warblers (mostly redstarts), and a kingbird. Quick check of the duck ponds didn’t have much (but if I had a few more minutes, there was some activity going down the hill).

Wednesday 8/27: BBN had a bunch of warblers to start including first of fall Nashville and Magnolia. Red-shoulder was by the pond and a few shorebirds although nothing new. Up hill had another pile of warblers including a Cape May, Canada, and Chestnut-sided. Looped down and had BT Green and parula before basically running out of time (would have been nice to have better views of what was probably a Bay-breasted). Surprisingly my first ‘commute’ over 50 for August.

Thursday 8/28: Gave Danehy a shot. Was pretty much a waste of time. Had to loop around to the Sherman entrance, walked the edge with nothing, worked around to Sparrow Hill and had a redstart. Gave the edge another loop and got a text from Alan about an Olive-sided at Dunback, so bailed and headed that way. Bit of traffic to fight through but got there with enough time to run down, see the flycatcher and then run over to the bridge and see not much.

Friday 8/29: Lot of peep at Hobbs Brook including more Semis than there had been last week. Cliff drove by and that’s what I told him. Cooper’s started scattering things around (including a lengthy chase with a kingfisher). A flock came in with a bigger looking bird, lost it, but found it again right as Cliff walked up.  Nice Baird’s and posing nicely. ‘Commute’ #261 too (and 175 for the year). Nothing else new in the remaining time.

Saturday 8/30: Wanted to get Norfolk over 100 for August, so went down to Moose Hill Farm. Got towhee and bluebird off the bat, then it was pretty quiet for a while other than a couple ravens at the power lines. Eventually found a small mixed flock and added parula, RE Vireo, and Black-and-white. Had some nice bugs along the power lines, then had another mixed flock with 2 BT Green, a Prairie, 3+ redstart, a Chestnut-sided, and another Black-and-white, which got me to 103.

Happy with that, I decided to make a loop at Great Pond. Started with more bugs and an Ovenbird, but not much on the water (and there was water not shorebird habitat). Made it around and found the Snowy Egret, then a few BW Teal and a couple sandpipers at Norroway. Decided not to try the path back and just walked the streets back.

Sunday 8/31: Inland Boston warbler day. Started at McLaughlin. Yellow, couple redstart, RE Vireo, Black-and-white, Least Flycatcher, and a turkey. Chestnut Hill Res had more of those plus BT Green, Magnolia, and a RB Nuthatch. Allandale Woods had more redstarts but not much else (maybe depending on whether I was hearing hawks or jays). A few shorebirds at Millennium but nothing else at midday.

Monday 9/1: Walking day. Falzone had a Nashville, West Meadow had not much, BBN had a parula, most of the shorebirds/ducks/herons, and a Red-shoulder. Rock Meadow was fairly quiet but got me to 50, which was not enough to bother going to the ponds. Return trip was a bit of a social at the parkway marsh but mostly the same there. Tennessee at Falzone was nice (missed them this spring). Total of 57, not too bad considering I didn’t hit any pockets of more than a couple migrants.

Tuesday 9/2: Couple redstarts and a Chestnut-sided were about it at Dunback.

Wednesday 8/20: Hobbs Brook had a pile of Least and Killdeer plus a few Solitary and Spotted off road. Caught something more interesting along the road just before the rain started, which proved to be a Stilt Sandpiper. Spent some time attempting to document it but the rain eventually won out. Quick check of Hardy and the res had nothing.

Thursday 8/21: Nothing at Spy Pond, cormorants flying over the Mystic Lakes and presumably one of the young eagles were it there. Nothing much at the res or Hardy.

Friday 8/22: Prospect Hill was on the slow side but a Blackburnian was quite nice. Also Black-and-white, couple redstarts, and a deer.

Saturday 8/23: Ode trip out west. Bog in Ashburnham had a pile of darners including a Mottled, several Martha’s Pennants, and a few other things. We walked a bit of a bike trail after, not finding much. A side trail led to a little stream which had Fawn Darners, a Black-tipped, and an emerald flying around, so worth it in the end.

Sunday 8/24: Did a good bit of Cutler Park. Green Heron over the boardwalk, a Chestnut-sided, a few shorebirds not easily viewed, and an Osprey with a fish to start. Relocated to Kendrick and had a few more shorebirds but little else.

Monday 8/25: Chestnut-sided but no Little Blue (or early Ring-neck) at Fresh Pond.

Tuesday 8/26: Nothing exciting around Watertown Square.

Wednesday 7/30: Hobbs Brook had a few shorebirds, Greater Yellowlegs the most interesting. Shade Street had a family of turkeys and an interesting skipper.

Thursday 7/31: Forest Grove/Flowed Meadow had mostly the usual. Quick check of the res on the way home had a hummingbird, an eagle, and a few gulls.

Friday 8/1: Great Meadows (after an egret stop at Elm Brook) had 5-7 Great Egrets, a rail, still calling Least Bittern, and a Bank Swallow. Saw the Bonaparte’s reports out west and gave the res a run (probably should have started there) but nothing much.

Saturday 8/2: Started at Heard Pond, where the rain had presumably brought the river way up, so no shorebirds. Nothing terribly exciting, a distant swallow might have been a Cliff, a few Bobolink, a Red-shoulder, etc. Gave Water Row a very quick stop at the overlook, nothing worth getting the scope out for. Made it to the Cranberry Bog while the introductions were still being done. Walk itself was very slow, mostly the very common stuff and not much in interesting birds or butterflies either (we’ll see about the syrphids).

Sunday 8/3: BBC Leader’s Appreciation event at Wompatuck. Walk was pretty quiet, Wood Thrush and Purple Martin the highlights. Social time was nice, but got a bit late and hot to stop at Squantum like I had wanted.

Monday 8/4: Nothing at Estabrook that hadn’t been there all summer. Pileated, YT Vireo, etc.

Tuesday 8/5: Night Herons at Cookson, Osprey at the square, very little otherwise.

Wednesday 7/23: BBN was birdy, although nothing terribly exciting. Virginia Rail, couple bluebirds, couple Night Herons.

Thursday 7/24: Nothing of note at Weston Station Pond.

Friday 7/25: Out to Otis. Tried to check Colebrook on the way but the road wasn’t open and nothing obvious on the Connecticut side. Crossbill over later was nice.

Saturday 7/26: Got 3 more Berkshire birds, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Broad-winged Hawk. Unfortunately that only got me to 98 and I was lazy, so all from the porch. Another(?) crossbill, Clamp-tipped Emerald, and Band-winged Meadowhawk too. Also Black Vultures over Great Barrington.

Sunday 7/27: Made the last day of the NE DSA meeting. Weather did not cooperate, list from 3 sites totaled about 8 species but really happy to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in 5 years.

Monday 7/28: Had taken the day in case the DSA went long. Finished getting to 100 in Essex in July at Harold Parker State Forest, getting up to 110 without any effort (or anything of any note). Made a couple stops in North Reading next, getting that list from 26 to 39, so hopefully 50 won’t be too hard later this year. Given the Little Blue report at BBN, I stopped on the way home. No luck but a Hooded Merganser was nice. Gave the duck ponds a quick check in case it had wandered that way without any luck.

Tuesday 7/29: Heron was still present, as was the merganser. Also Gray Hairstreak (I think, rather worn) and Appalachian Brown.

Wednesday 7/16: BBN had a single Least and Solitary, an Osprey, a tanager landing right near me, and a Mocha Emerald or two. Quick check of the duck ponds had no shorebirds.

Thursday 7/17: Dunback had Bobolinks, 250+ Red-wings, and not much else.

Friday 7/18: Egret and not much else at Great Meadows.

Saturday 7/19: Started at McCarthy Park to work on my July Norfolk list. Picked up my 3 easiest targets and a couple others, which got me past 90. Felt like I could have come closer to 100 but that’s for next year. Decided a bit of a stop at the Barber Reservation in Sherborn next. Worked down to the power lines and picked up some nice bugs including a buckeye, a Swamp Darner, and a few tiger beetles. Got a few raptors and a few other things, which got by Sherborn list to 75. Checked the fields on the way back, another Swamp Darner and a Silver-bordered Fritillary were nice.

Sunday 7/20: Started at Winthrop Beach. Semipalmated Plover flew by, otherwise just the regulars. Lewis Lake had Night Herons and not much else. Pico had a few martins at the yacht club. Good number of shorebirds from Lawn Ave, but nothing exciting. Decided the mosquitos were going to be too bad from there and even though it was unlikely ot still be up, the Seaside Sparrow in Squantum was better. Gave it a little over an hour without luck but a bunch of Saltmarsh and a few shorebirds were around.

Monday 7/21: Tried Horn Pond in case the intermittent Yellow-crowned Night Heron was around. No luck and nothing else terribly of note.

Tuesday 7/22: Multiple Least Bitterns calling at Great Meadows, no Striped Saddlebags though.

Wednesday 7/9: Too rainy in the morning, didn’t feel like a pond loop.

Thursday 7/10: Still too rainy.

Friday 7/11: Usual at Weston Station Pond. Did a midafternoon walk to avoid sitting in the data center and didn’t see anything of note.

Saturday 7/12: Inland Boston loop. Had Cliff Swallow immediately at Mill Pond along with a Green Heron. Nothing terribly exciting birdwise at Stony Brook, some interesting insects though. Gave Allendale Woods a loop too, no owls or Pileated. No Night Heron at the high school marsh at Millennium and not much in a quick walk along the river.

Sunday 7/13: Concord Butterfly Count with Maria, Alan, Steve, and Nancy in Acton/Carlisle as usual. Good numbers of satyrs and wood-nymphs, a Gray Hairstreak, a few skippers, but not overly exciting. A turkey flushing at my feet and a Virginia Rail were about it birdwise and the odes were the usual.

Monday 7/14: Did a Kaveski/Meriam’s loop. Solitary overhead and a Green Heron were the extent of the excitement.

Tuesday 7/15: Night Heron at Cookson, Peregrine near the square.

Wednesday 7/2: Delaware Skipper was the most interesting thing at Hanscom.

Thursday 7/3: Lone Tree Hill had an Indigo and a Green Heron but nothing exciting for butterflies. Solitary at the duck ponds.

Friday 7/4: Did a coastal loop even though I figured the Ruff and others were long gone. Winthrop Beach was very quiet, but I did finally find Efferia albibarbis. Nothing much at Belle Isle Cemetery. Couple dowitchers and a first summer Least Tern at Belle Isle itself, few more shorebirds from Lawn Ave. Stopped at Earhart on the way home and finally got a couple Common Terns.

Saturday 7/5: Wanted to be near Torbert Macdonald in case the Whistling-Ducks turned back up, but chased some month birds while I waited for news. Acadian took some time at the Hemlock Pool but eventually got a good show. Also finally have the young Barred Owl call down as a Barred Owl. Couldn’t find the Ruddy at Ell Pond but a Night Heron and a couple others were new there. Fellsmere Pond next, just about got Malden to 50 (and did by adding pigeon and starling while driving off, which was town #50). Gave Station Landing a quick check for ducks, nothing of note.

Sunday 7/6: Ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Started in Estabrook first, no luck with spiketails but Zack did find some nearby after. Walk itself was pretty quiet, not much beyond the common skimmers. Did have a couple Unicorn Clubtails and a few butterflies. Stopped at Healthpoint on the way home and got a (slightly blurry) photo of a Comet Darner and Carolina Saddlebags together.

Monday 7/7: No egret, bittern, or much beyond a weasel at Great Meadows.

Tuesday 7/8: West Meadow was quiet. Few shorebirds at the parkway marsh included3 Solitary and 5 Least.