Wednesday 3/18: At least 3-5 Fox Sparrows at BBN, Rusty and 5 GW Teal about it otherwise. Eagle over the house as I got home.
Thursday 3/19: Nothing at Cookson. Dog walker stopped me to point out an early Night Heron by the dam. Continued to the east side to look for a reported Horned Grebe with no luck.
Friday 3/20: Usual ducks at Weston Station Pond, nothing but a couple of Fox Sparrows elsewhere along the rail trail. Res had mergansers and nothing else.
Saturday 3/21: Did a bit of town listing. Started in Wakefield. Pulled in at Lake Q and started scanning the mergansers. Got to ten or so and a hooded gull appeared. Ran out with the scope and it was a Laughing. Phone-scoped a couple shots and doubled back for the camera and the gull had disappeared. Panned back and forth for a bit and went through the ducks but couldn’t find it. Eventually scoped to the far end where a bunch were on the grass and it looked like one had a hood. Jumped in the car and drove down and sure enough it was with them. Gave it a few just as I started to move on an eagle may or may not have flushed everything.
Continued to Aububon Rd from there. Lot of Ring-necks, 2 scaup (#2 for Wakefield), a few teal, etc. Decided to go down to Spot Pond next, walked from the boat launch to Quarter Mile Pond and only found a Ring-neck. Skipped Ell Pond and went to Fellsmere next, which was a bit of a waste (Ring-billed Gull was new for Malden). Doubled back to Pine Banks Park and got a few more things here (5 total I think) although nothing exciting.
Afternoon pass of Nine Acre and the res didn’t have anything obvious.
Sunday 3/22: Started at Great Meadows. Hoped for something to blow in on the southerly winds but they weren’t there yet and all that was around was basically the same ducks. Gave up and went to the Billerica trail. Got Pileated, Fox Sparrow, Common Merganser, and Bufflehead there (and Carolina Wren-ruled the ducks for Carlisle) along with the first tick of the year. Vietnam Veterans Park after had a lot of blackbirds and a few ducks but nothing to add. Res had more of the same on the way home.
Monday 3/23: Afternoon pass of the res had 8 mergansers and nothing else.
Tuesday 3/24: Car battery was dead, so just walked Hardy Pond. Decent variety but nothing terribly exciting.