nature – Page 55 – brewster's linnet . com

WIR 1/21-1/27

Wednesday 1/21: Flyover redpoll and distant calling Fish Crow at Dunback.

Thursday 1/22: Nothing new along the riverwalk.

Friday 1/23: Sharpie at Lindentree, which probably kept everything else down.

Saturday 1/24: Too snowy but Carolina Wren in the yard for the first time in several months.

Sunday 1/25: Redpolls, bluebirds, and Purple Finches at Dunback. Nothing exciting at Lot 1.

Monday 1/26: Few Ring-necks on the river on Pelham Island Rd plus an eagle further up 27.

Tuesday 1/27: Tons of the usual but nothing good at the feeders.

WIR 1/14-1/20

Wednesday 1/14: Did the river a bit. Eagle, same ducks, probable flock of redpolls.

Thursday 1/15: Only had time for a 2 minute scan of Pelham Island Rd, where a bluebird was the only thing of any interest.

Friday 1/16: Red-wings and bluebirds at Heard Farm.

Saturday 1/17: Too cold for me.

Sunday 1/18: Long walk around BBN and Rock Meadow. Sapsucker at RM, 2 Winter Wrens at BBN were most of it. Except for one of those 5 minutes of magic: 1-3 Yellow-rumps, 2 Ravens, and a Pintail all at Mackerel Hill.

Monday 1/19: Two eagles (1 banded!) at Forest Grove, nothing else exciting.

Tuesday 1/20: Absolutely nothing at College Pond.

WIR 1/7-1/13

Wednesday 1/7: Still too cold.

Thursday 1/8: Even colder but took the car out to let it run a bit. Geese, Mallards, Black Ducks, Ring-necks, and swans on the res.

Friday 1/9: Woodpecker

Saturday 1/10: River: 1-2 pintails (Newton and Prospect St), Iceland Gull, most of the expected wintering ducks. Twelve coots at the res.

Sunday 1/11: Dunback: no redpolls still but the Barred Owl was around again and a Purple Finch and Swamp Sparrow were new for the year.

Monday 1/12: Rather nasty out, wasn’t it?

Tuesday 1/13: Looped School St to Nine Acre without much (good number of larks, too windy to scope anything good among them). Coots and an eagle at the res.

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Sandwiched between Brown Creeper and Gadwall on my Suffolk county list:

WIR 12/31-1/6

Wednesday 12/31: Looking for one last year bird in Waltham. Winter Wren at BBN, Savannah Sparrow at the field station, lots of ducks on the res but nothing new.

Thursday 1/1: Surprisingly little on the BBC trip, but one bird was enough.

Friday 1/2: Dunback had a Barred Owl, sapsucker, 2 ravens, a towhee, and 19 Red-wings. Cackling Geese were still at Clay Pit. Nothing exciting along the river.

Saturday 1/3: 55+ Tree Sparrows at BBN, 20 more at the field station.

Sunday 1/4: Quick check of the res was pretty much the same as the 1st: 1 eagle, 25 wigeon, 10 scaup, 90 Ring-necks, 100 Hoodies, etc.

Monday 1/5: Too windy to do much, but cruised a few of the ponds. Shovelers at Arlington Res and an eagle at Mystic Lakes were about it.

Tuesday 1/6: Too cold and snow started before I got energy to go out.

2014

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

No travel, which needs to change. Only 1 lifer (Ruff), but 8 county birds (Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Whimbrel, Long-billed Dowitcher, Leach’s Storm-Petrel, Lapland Longspur), and the tern and hummer were state birds as well (plus the Ruff obviously). Only 1 new bird for the Beaver Brook/Rock Meadow patch (Lesser Yellowlegs), but 7 for the Charles (Red-shouldered Hawk, Fox Sparrow, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Ovenbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, Scarlet Tanager, and Tennessee Warbler). Caspian Tern was the only Waltham addition. Five for the yard (GH Owl, YB Cuckoo, Raven, Peregrine, BG Gnatcatcher).

Insectwise, White Corporal, Golden-winged Skimmer, and Brush-tipped Emerald were new odes in the county. Bog Copper and Silver-bordered Fritillary were state and county butterflies.

As for my county tick project, I broke 100 in 16 cities and am pushing towards 3000 town ticks.

Goals for next year: county ode list to 100 (9 away), county list to 295 (4 away), life list to 600 (40+ away), catch up with a few of the overdue state birds. And get the rest of the 2-town area over 100 (Burlington and Weston easy, Winchester, Arlington, and Bedford maybe).

1/1/2015

Well that was a nice start to the year.

WIR 12/24-12/30

Wednesday 12/24: Wandered the river and Cambridge Res without anything.

Thursday 12/25: Stayed in.

Friday 12/26: Great Meadows was quiet. Pair of Lesser Scaup at Hardy.

Saturday 12/27: Nothing at Dunback. Nothing much at Sandy Beach. Nothing at all at the North Reservoir.

Sunday 12/28: Tried for scaup at Fresh Pond but only managed creepers, Canvasback, and Ring-necks. Usual at Cambridge Res.

Monday 12/29: Went to Cape Ann for the day. Razorbills and stuff at Andrew’s and Halibut, one white-winged gull at Jodrey, then I decided it was too cool and windy, so went to Marblehead Neck and found the Townsend’s Warbler easily.

Tuesday 12/30: Worked the river a bit. Winter Wren in Watertown was nice, as were 3 Fish Crows over Moody St. A few ducks finally coming in too.

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More or less the total from the last 3ish months of commuting to Natick. Hopefully to be added to next year.

Didn’t upload too many photos, but here’s a couple highlights:

WIR 12/17-12/23

Wednesday 12/17: Hardy Pond had nothing exciting, Heard Pond had nothing, and there was nothing more than a few geese and Mallards at the town building.

Thursday 12/18: Res had tons of ducks including more scaup and 3 Gadwall.

Friday 12/19: Cackling Goose and Ruddy at Great Meadows.

Saturday 12/20: 5 Purple Finches and a Winter Wren at Dunback.

Sunday 12/21: Nothing exciting along the river. More gulls but nothing good among them.

Monday 12/22: Sapsucker was still around at BBN but not much else.

Tuesday 12/23: Hunting for goldeneye without any luck from Prospect St to Norumbega.