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Wednesday 3/20: River walk: Great Cormorant still in place, a Turkey Vulture over the Shaw’s lot, and a nice male Red-breasted Merganser by the second overlook.

Thursday 3/21: Rock Meadow was pretty quiet.

Friday 3/22: Forest Grove was fairly quiet. Even though I hadn’t seen anything driving in, a quick check of Purgatory Cove had a good bit including 4 Green-winged Teal, 3+ Wood Duck, and 3 Ring-necks. Common Mergansers and Bufflehead on the river.

Saturday 3/23: Rather cold and windy, so lots of stops weren’t productive. Main highlights were Killdeer at Dunback and Waltham St.

Sunday 3/24: Lindentree was fairly quiet, singing Brown Creeper was nice. Couldn’t find the thing in question in Sudbury again but a nice time. Turkey Vulture over the yard.

Monday 3/25: Wood Ducks at the duck ponds.

Tuesday 3/26: Usual at Purgatory Cove.

Wednesday 3/13: Waded to the West Meadow boardwalk and didn’t see much. Peepers calling when I left work.

Thursday 3/14: Fox Sparrow (or two or four) at Rock Meadow.

Friday 3/15: Too cold and windy to get out of the car at Purgatory Cove, so checked Norumbega and Charlesbank too without seeing much.

Saturday 3/16: Birder’s Meeting all day.

Sunday 3/17: Ravens and Tree Swallows at a variety of stops. Merlin flew and landed in the yard as I got home. Should have a Fieldfare here but…

Monday 3/18: Got it today instead. Lot 1 earlier had nothing of any note.

Tuesday 3/19: Little too stormy. Busy yard, although nothing exciting.

Wednesday 3/6: Too nasty for much at the duck ponds.

Thursday 3/7: If it wasn’t snowing and blasting wind (and if I had my camera), good photo ops of Common Mergansers at Hardy Pond. Not much visible at the res.

Friday 3/8: Yeah right.

Saturday 3/9: Started at Waltham St, which was fairly quiet (GB Heron was about it) to start. On the way out, some movement above the stream caught my attention and after going through a bunch of sparrows and redpoll I realized it was a Yellow-rump! On to Dunback, which was quiet and then the Cambridge Res, which had about the same as last week (no RB Mergansers and fewer Ring-necks and scaup).

Sunday 3/10: Started at Horn Pond where there wasn’t much different (cowbird, Red-bellied, and a kingfisher were probably the only ones that haven’t been yard birds this year). Tried to check Spy Pond, but it was busy and there was nowhere to park. Cambridge Res again finally had the flock in fairly close. More scaup today including a Lesser or two. Hardy Pond was basically frozen. Checked email and after a stop for lunch at home, up to Gloucester.

Monday 3/11: Forest Grove about as normal. Lots of tree sparrows (singing?) were slightly different and grackles (finally) pushed me over 50% of my target for the river this year.

Tuesday 3/12: Killdeer at the river walk along with the 2 scaup.

Wednesday 2/27: Didn’t get out.

Thursday 2/28: Riverwalk about the same. Raccoon returned to the feeders at night.

Friday 3/1: Forest Grove: heard a Wood Duck and that was about it. Chipmunks out in force in the yard.

Saturday 3/2: Grackles found the yard. Started in Wayland, where there were 5 Green-winged Teal and 2 American Wigeon among other things behind the town building. Nothing exciting by Heard Pond and quick drivebys of Water Row and Nine Acre Corner didn’t add much. School St. Fields turned up about 20 Horned Larks and 2 Killdeer (plus a bluebird, with another right at the rotary). Flint’s Pond was frozen. With time to scope the ducks on Cambridge Res, I added a female Red-breasted Merganser and a Canvasback(!) along with more of the usual. Quick check of Hardy Pond had the scaup and good numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls.

Sunday 3/3: Meriam’s Corner and Kaveski were pretty quiet. Continued to Great Meadows. Started slow, but while trying to find ducks on the river I found the Red-shouldered Hawk that’s been hanging around and then a pair of Pileateds! Also had some redpolls fly over and bluebirds were mobbing the hawk on the way back. Checked the res again after and had almost exactly the same totals.

Monday 3/4: Had 3 birds total at Prospect Hill.

Tuesday 3/5: Purgatory Cove: just starting to open, good number of Mallards. On the river were more of the same plus a few Ring-necks. Two flickers and a bunch of robins were probably a sign of early migrants.

Wednesday 2/20: River walk was on the quiet side (no Hoodies!), but both scaup (see 2/6) were by the ball field. The second one was also a Lesser.

Thursday 2/21: Duck ponds as usual.

Friday 2/22: Woerd Ave again, nothing new.

Saturday 2/23: Scaup again on Hardy, still too far out. On to Dunback, heard a few blackbirds but not much else. Moved on to the riverwalk, which was about the same (more goldeneye) and then Moody St (nothing new).

Sunday 2/24: Stayed in.

Monday 2/25: Hardy Pond was quiet. Cambridge Res was busy with tons of Ring-necks, a few scaup (only confirmed Greater), a couple wigeon,  goldeneye, Bufflehead, and all 3 mergansers (Red-breasted new for the res?).

Tuesday 2/26: Went to Met State but the parking lot was nonexistent so continued to the duck ponds. Very little (no Mallards!). Finally walked around the block in the afternoon and immediately had first of year grackles and some Red-winged Blackbirds.

Wednesday 2/6: River walk: usual plus a Lesser Scaup by Elm St (suspect a young male) and a scaup sp (suspect Greater) by Shaw’s.

Thursday 2/7: Ended up at Rock Meadow (went to the duck ponds but they were working on both ponds) and nothing much of note.

Friday 2/8: Stayed in, nothing exciting in the yard.

Saturday 2/9: 3 redpolls in the yard for a second record. Usual stuff otherwise, but Hooded Mergansers and a couple coots swam into view late in the afternoon.

Sunday 2/10: No redpolls, nothing else different.

Monday 2/11: Not surprisingly, didn’t get outside.

Tuesday 2/12: Made it to the river walk. Snow made for slow going and I only had time to get to the second overlook. Lots of mergansers and a Bufflehead. Adult Cooper’s in the yard.

Wednesday 1/30: BBN had a couple bluebirds and lots of mud.

Thursday 1/31: Nothing different along the riverwalk.

Friday 2/1: Forest Grove: 2 creepers, lots of the usual ducks but too windy to search through them. About 30 coots at Norumbega.

Saturday 2/2: Started with a quick scan of Hardy Pond (nothing of note) and Cambridge Res (coyote towards the Trapelo end but no birds). Flint’s Pond was similar, so on to Farm Meadow. Nothing exciting there but a nice flock of waxwings at Codman was good. At the gardens I found a big flock of starlings and picked out a few cowbirds. Hoping for more, I started scanning but a fire engine left the station right then and everything flushed. I moved on to Lindentree and found nothing, so I continued to School St and had 5 crows. A quick stop at Norumbega (no coots) and Forest Grove (gulls, mallards, and geese) was not productive, but an adult Bald Eagle was flying over as I drove off. Quick trip from Prospect to Moody had a male Bufflehead but not much else.

Sunday 2/3: Walked to Rock Meadow and had absolutely nothing.

Monday 2/4: Prospect Hill: windy and barely any birds.

Tuesday 2/5: Couldn’t find the snipe reported yesterday at Forest Grove (and the river was frozen so I didn’t expect the scaup). A couple Red-bellies, a Hairy, and not much else.