Wednesday 10/3: Purgatory Cove started with the typical teal and Wood Ducks. Checked the river and found 6 wigeon and first of fall coot. Back at the car, there was a flock moving through so I gave it a couple minutes. First of fall Golden-crowned Kinglet was followed by a Charles River tick Black-throated Green Warbler, a Parula, and a Blackpoll among the many Yellow-rumps. Then the jays squawked a bit. I looked up and something slim and fairly large flew over. Took a second to go from gull to falcon, which turned into an even better surprise when I got bins on it and saw white wing patches. Nighthawk! Way late, new for the Charles, and my 180th lunch hour bird (or not, forgot to mark down Semipalmated Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper at least)!
Thursday 10/4: Shoveler at Hardy Pond in the morning. North end of the Cambridge Res had a Spotted, 2 Pectoral, and 4 Least Sandpipers, plus an egret, bunches of Yellow-rumps, and at least 7 pipits.
Friday 10/5: Add a Dickcissel to the grosbeak. West Meadow at lunch had 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Scarlet Tanager. Probably a siskin but a little too far to feel confident of the call. Something in the afternoon too.
Saturday 10/6: Joined the MBC trip to Waltham St, which was on the quiet side beyond Purple Finches and a snipe. We continued to the Cambridge Res, where a White-crowned Sparrow was my first of the year and a siskin flew over. Pipits, egret, and Least Sandpipers continued. Then back to Dunback for more Purple Finches. I stopped at BBN and the West Meadow again on the way home. Birds were pretty minimal but butterflies included a Wild Indigo Duskywing and a Buckeye.
Sunday 10/7: Morning walk around Rock Meadow: Sapsucker, White-crowned Sparrow, many Pine Siskins (which were a patch tick, not sure how after the invasion a few years ago). Stopped at Waltham St. for a few minutes and flushed the snipe from the exact same spot and then (re)found a Clay-colored Sparrow. Chased the pintails John Hines had found at Purgatory Cove a little later, with success (3rd Charles tick in a week!). Also up to 23 Green-winged Teal and 6 coot, plus more of the same.
Monday 10/8: Attempted to take advantage of the holiday by twitching the Purple Gallinule found in Norfolk yesterday. Decided to stop at Millenium Park in West Roxbury on the way. After a bit of a construction/gps detour, I had a pretty good time at Millenium with 2 Great Egret, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Rusty Blackbird, 2 Nashville Warblers, and a bunch of siskins among the common stuff. Unfortunately then reached Stony Brook a couple hours too late for the gallinule. Two hours looking did turn up a bunch of both teal, some Tree Swallows, and other regular stuff. Finished the day with 10 Suffolk county and 19 Norfolk county ticks.
Tuesday 10/9: Prospect Hill was pretty birdy. Started with a flock of siskins as I rounded the curve by the tanks. They had moved on by the time I ate and got back down there (and scoped the res), but a flock of warblers was moving through including a Parula, Nashville, Blackpoll, a bunch of Yellow-rumps, and a Blue-headed Vireo. Three Hermit Thrushes further on and then down to the end of Whitney. Palm and BT Blue on the way. Heading back, I found probably the same flock, which also included a couple Pines and a BT Green.