Category Archives: nature

WIR 11/30-12/6

Wednesday 11/30: Started for Moody St, looked like the gull numbers were way lower today so hit the regular part of the river walk instead. Saw very little (more turtles than birds beyond the railroad bridge). Thursday 12/1: Hardy Pond on the way to work: 1 Ruddy, 3 Common Mergansers. BBN (all around the marsh) [...]

WIR 11/23-29

Wednesday 11/23: Quick scan of Hardy Pond and Cambridge Res didn’t appear to have anything new, although it was too cold and nasty to bother getting the scope out. Thursday 11/24: Out to New Salem for Thanksgiving. Heard a Pileated but a walk through the center of town didn’t find anything. Friday 11/25: Stopped at [...]

11/26 Twitching

A few photos from chasing around Essex county yesterday: Cassin’s Kingbird (4th state record) Northern Shrike Sandhill Cranes calling (and vaguely visible) A few more photos

Flying Squirrel!

It’s been back off and on (probably depending more on how often we look). Finally got some good pictures tonight. First one was taken from inside with only the light above the door. I was quite happy with the result for a few minutes. Until I walked outside and found out how tame they can [...]

WIR 11/16-11/22

Wednesday 11/16: Lot 1 had nothing unusual. Thursday 11/17: Hardy Pond: 1 coot, 1 hoodie, 20ish Ruddy, 2 Great Blue Heron. Cambridge Res: nothing on the first scan but eventually saw a large, dark thing way off. That was a Herring Gull, but scoping that general area turned up a small flock. In the flock, [...]

Cape 11/20

Sunday was supposed to be the last BBC pelagic of the year (actually the Saturday before but bad weather pushed it back). At the last minute, I decided to go and then spend Monday on the Cape, finally getting around to chasing the Brown Booby and anything else that was around. Unfortunately the trip was [...]

WIR 11/9-11/15

Wednesday 11/9: Rock Meadow had nothing exciting. Thursday 11/10: Common Merganser, couple Hoodies, few Ruddy at Hardy Pond. More Ruddy and Hoodie at Cambridge Res. Friday 11/11: Checked a few ponds midmorning. North end of the Cambridge Res had Hooded Mergansers. Flint’s Pond had Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and mergansers. Cambridge Res had a Long-tailed Duck [...]

WIR 11/2-11/8

Wednesday 11/2: Prospect Hill: 2 deer, very few birds. Thursday 11/3: Duck ponds were having tree work so ended at Rock Meadow. Fourteen turkeys at the entrance to the gardens, a sapsucker and hermit thrush in them. Coot, Ruddies, and a Kingfisher on Hardy Pond in the afternoon. Friday 11/4: Purgatory Cove had the usual [...]

WIR 10/26-11/1

Wednesday 10/26: River walk for a change, phoebe, few warblers, nothing but mallards on the water. Thursday 10/27: Hardy Pond and Cambridge Res in the rain: Ruddies on both, huge raft of coots on the res. Friday 10/28: BBN at lunch: Bunch of Hermit Thrushes, phoebe, lots of common sparrows and juncos. Ran over to [...]

Snow Birds

Some highlights from a snow-filled Waltham St. Fields today. Unhappy Killdeer Chipping Sparrow posing nicely ‘Yellow’ Palm Warbler Dickcissel Lark Sparrow continues Have a suspicion that there were two birds, although these photos are all of one.