nature – Page 53 – brewster's linnet . com

WIR 6/3-6/9

Wednesday 6/3: Nothing exciting at Nine Acre Corner.

Thursday 6/4: Late(ish) Blackpoll and lots of mosquitos at BBN.

Friday 6/5: Pileated and Delta-spotted Spiketail at Saw Meadow in Lincoln.

Saturday 6/6: Rock Meadow and the duck ponds were quiet.

Sunday 6/7: Foxes and little else at Prospect Hill. Was about to turn on the tennis when Simon called asking for directions to the spiketail. Easier to show than to describe, so I went back out. Surprisingly, the first bug at the first opening was another one although it didn’t cooperate. Pileated and Broad-wing further on plus a few Cyrano Darners. Continued to Nine Acre where we checked on the Cliff Swallows and then the Bobolinks. Several expected FOY odes plus a less expected Bronze Copper.

Monday 6/8: College Pond had the Barred Owl, a BB Cuckoo, more Boreal Bluets, and a few other things. Fishfly on the deck when I got home at night.

Tuesday 6/9: Stopped for the loon at Flint’s and then got the Alder Flycatchers at Meriam’s along with an Orchard Oriole.

WIR 5/27-6/2

Wednesday 5/27: Nothing beyond an Orchard Oriole at BBN.

Thursday 5/28: Boreal Bluets and a Harlequin Darner at College Pond.

Friday 5/29: Nothing at Great Meadows.

Saturday 5/30: Ran out to Townsend. Decent numbers of dragonflies including my first Beaverpond Clubtail and Elfin Skimmers for the county. Would have liked the additional whitefaces to show better, suspect I saw all 5 but couldn’t confirm the 2 better ones. Also had an Arctic Skipper here and a few Silvery Blues out in Ashby.

Sitting outside late afternoon had the returning Broad-wing, a vulture, FOY saddlebags and Prince Baskettail, and first for the yard Little Wood Satyr.

Sunday 5/31: BBC/MBC trip to Great Meadows. Slow start but nice flyby of Least Bittern and calling PB Grebe towards the end.

Monday 6/1: Rainy, nothing at Heard or the res.

Tuesday 6/2: Still rainy, still nothing at Heard.

WIR 5/20-5/26

Wednesday 5/20: Heard only Mourning Warbler at Forest Grove plus Willow Flycatchers, pewee, and a raccoon.

Thursday 5/21: Prospect Hill had a decent selection of warblers, highlighted by 2 Blackburnians plus a deer and a fox. Two young deer on the way home.

Friday 5/22: Lots of Bobolinks at Heard Farm plus an American Lady and a good number of Common Baskettails.

Saturday 5/23: BBN/Rock Meadow had 12+ warblers (including Tennessee, Wilson’s, and Canada) plus BB Cuckoo. Stopped at the duck ponds, added Blackpoll and a mammal.

Sunday 5/24: Walked Lot 1 and the West Meadow. FOY Green Heron and Swainson’s Thrush plus patch FOY Spotted Sandpiper, Pine Warbler, Belted Kingfisher, and DC Cormorant. First ringlets too.

Monday 5/25: Started at Great Meadows where I heard one of two Least Bitterns. Continued to the Cranberry Bog even though it clouded up. A few New England Bluets but not much else. Quick check of Fort Pond Brook had a few more FOY odes, nothing terribly exciting.

Tuesday 5/26: Prospect Hill was quiet beyond a Stream Cruiser.

Anotter Patch Tick

Duck ponds yesterday:

WIR 5/13-5/19

Wednesday 5/13: Chestnut-sided and a Pewee finally at Hayden Woods plus lots of azures.

Thursday 5/14: BB Cuckoo, Wilson’s Warbler, Bobolinks at Forest Grove.

Friday 5/15: Solitary and not much else at the duck ponds. Beaver at College Pond on the way home.

Saturday 5/16: MBC bird day. Finished with 102 out of 104 group total. Highlights included calling Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Semipalmated Plovers, and ice cream.

Sunday 5/17: Went out to Townsend for odes. Fairly quiet. Just missed the perfect shot of Beaverpond Baskettail:

Lots of whitefaces, corporals, etc but nothing good.

Monday 5/18: BBN had a hummer, Willow Flycatcher, pewee, few warblers, etc.

Tuesday 5/19: Lesser Yellowlegs at Nine Acre but nothing else there, at the res, or Heard Pond.

WIR 5/6-5/12

Wednesday 5/6: BBN had 8 warblers (including Blackpoll, BT Blue, and Prairie) plus a Scarlet Tanager and Least Flycatcher.

Thursday 5/7: Louisiana Waterthrush, Solitary Sandpipers, and not much else at College Pond.

Friday 5/8: Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove again. Magnolia, GC Flycatcher, Ovenbird, not a ton else.

Saturday 5/9: Great Meadows was fairly quiet. Least and Solitary Sandpipers and one pocked of warblers plus Marsh Wrens finally. Went back to Assabet after and had 2 boghaunters, a few baskettails, and some less identified things.

Sunday 5/10: Led the Mt. Auburn trip. Cape May, cooperative Blackburnian, few other things but much less than had been reported.

Monday 5/11: Blackburnian and BB Cuckoo at BBN plus first whitetail of the year.

Tuesday 5/12: Heard Pond had a street sweeper and a flyover Bobolink.

WIR 4/29-5/5

Wednesday 4/29: Barred Owl and Virginia Rail at College Pond.

Thursday 4/30: Waterthrush and BT Green at Arlington Res but not much else new.

Friday 5/1: RB Grosbeak and a couple BH Vireos at BBN.

Saturday 5/2: Grosbeaks and Yellow Warblers all over Dunback. Warbling Vireos and not too much else at Great Meadows. Cliff Swallow and Spotted Sandpiper at Nine Acre, 2 eagles at the res.

Sunday 5/3: Black-and-white, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush at Round Hill. Yellowthroat, 3 Broad-wings, lots of Pine Elfins at Assabet River. Orioles and tiger beetles at the Desert.

Monday 5/4: Couple Parulas among a pile of Yellow-rumps and handful of Palms at Heard Pond, plus a waterthrush or two and a few grosbeaks. Pileated flew over Rt. 30 on the way home.

Tuesday 5/5: Started raining heavily as I reached Purgatory Cove. Lots of Yellow-rumps again plus a couple Parulas, Bt Green, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Blue-headed Vireo, both orioles, etc. Back corner of the cove was where the excitement was when a large, long-winged, strongly notched tailed swallow buzzed over. Not ideal, but can’t make it anything but a martin.

WIR 4/22-4/28

Wednesday 4/22: Late American Tree Sparrow was about it at BBN.

Thursday 4/23: Windier than I liked at the Wayland CG. Couple gnatcatchers and nothing else exciting.

Friday 4/24: Arlington Res had a sweep of swallows, a kingbird, and a Merlin.

Saturday 4/25: Bit of a lazy start, but eventually wandered out. Scaup still at the res. Nothing exciting at Round Hill. Red-shoulders at the Desert Natural Area plus azures at both of those stops. Afternoon trip to Great Meadows failed to find much, did get a banded Great Black-backed.

Sunday 4/26: Led the Mt. Auburn trip which was dead. Highlights: 8 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 3 Hermit Thrushes, 3 Red-breasted Nuthatches. Arlington Res after, which is where all the warblers are apparently. Yellow-rumps all over with a few Palms, 1 Pine, and FOY Yellow. Nothing much else. Long walk around AGM after didn’t have any butterflies but did have a thrasher.

Monday 4/27: Heard Pond had a Blue-headed Vireo and lots of Yellow-rumps and Palms.

Tuesday 4/28: About the same as yesterday at Forest Grove (minus the vireo).

WIR 4/15-4/21

Wednesday 4/15: College Pond had a gnatcatcher, calling Barred Owl, and first Mourning Cloak of the year.

Thursday 4/16: Harrier and not a whole lot else at Kaveski.

Friday 4/17: Nothing but scaup at the res on a pond check (rather nasty for the few minutes I was out).

Saturday 4/18: Started with the MBC trip at Horn Pond. First of spring Yellow-rumps were a good beginning. As the group approached the phoebe bridge, I backtracked a bit to scan for hidden teal. No ducks, but something moved in the leaves. Bright white undertail, bright yellow bill. Sora! I ran back and, amazingly, it stayed more or less visible for the entire group. Rest of the walk had more of the typical stuff.

Stopped at Arlington Res on the way back, lots of Yellow-rumps, a few Palms, Bufflehead, a Ruddy, not much else. Duck ponds were quiet other than a Cabbage White. Stopped at BBN to check water levels by Dawes (too high) and flushed a snipe on the way back (Waltham #210!). While trying to get another look at that, the first Common Green Darner of the year flew by. Checked Cambridge Res quickly, 8 Greater Scaup, 7 Ring-neck.

Sunday 4/19: Led the MBC walk at BBN. Flyover loon, lots of Palms, Hermit Thrushes, sparrows, not a whole lot else. Scaup still at Cambridge Res, goldeneye and Ring-necks at Flint’s. Got home to see that the Yellow-throated Warbler I expected yesterday at Arlington Res had showed up, wandered over midafternoon and got it easily. Checked duck ponds again just in case but nothing at all there.

Monday 4/20: Nothing at Farm Meadow/Codman. Barn Swallows at Heard Pond and the town marsh (missed the kingbird though).

Tuesday 4/21: Chimney Swift, 2 Ravens, and a bunch of Yellow-rumps at Purgatory Cove.

WIR 4/8-4/14

Wednesday 4/8: Sapsucker (Charles #156) at Forest Grove among lots of the usual.

Thursday 4/9: Nothing on any of the ponds.

Friday 4/10: Still nothing on the ponds.

Saturday 4/11: Nothing at Flint’s on the way to Meriam’s Corner. Got nice views of the ibis flock and a bonus Vesper Sparrow. Lots of blackbirds and robins and not much else. On to Great Meadows, which was far too windy. Lots of Tree Swallows, 3 Osprey, 3 eagles. Res opened overnight but nothing much on it.

Sunday 4/12: Prospect Hill for the first time this year. Ravens had young, although I couldn’t get a count. Also first of year Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pine Warbler, and Red-breasted Nuthatch, plus tons of GC Kinglets and Chipping Sparrows, several Hermit Thrushes and Fox Sparrows, and a few other things. Nothing much at any of the ponds (Ruddy at Hardy was about it). Still a Tree Sparrow at Purgatory Cove in the afternoon.

Monday 4/13: Field Sparrows and lots of Rusties at BBN.

Tuesday 4/14: Nothing terribly exciting on a pond check in the morning (Pine and Palm at Flint’s and Heard plus a singing Winter Wren at Flint’s). Did the res again in the afternoon and had a Horned Grebe.