Category: nature

Back to Tuesdays apparently.

Tuesday 7/6: Didn’t get out (way too hot) but a Band-winged Meadowhawk in the yard was first of year.

Wednesday 7/7: Hardy Pond in the heat. Seemed to be common stuff around but didn’t spend much time looking.

Thursday 7/8: River walk was hotter than I realized. Most of the usual birds were around and I counted about 50 Blue-fronted Dancers between Shaw’s and Elm St.

Friday 7/9: Duck Ponds. Ponds were quiet (although a Great Blue and Killdeer eventually popped up at the lower one). Downhill, I had to bushwhack to the bridge (and couldn’t reach the second one). A whole bunch of birds sounded annoyed, with a redstart among them. After a few minutes scanning, I finally picked up a young Eastern Screech-Owl sitting on a branch. Patch tick!

Saturday 7/10: Joined the Concord Butterfly Count. I’d say separate post but there were very few butterflies in the hot and dry and then we got rained out in the afternoon. My Broad-winged Skippers turned out to be the best thing on the day. Still fun though.

Sunday 7/11: Tried to refind a couple things and generally found nothing. Checked the duck ponds for the owl and redstart, then Prospect Hill for saddlebags. Finally stopped at Woerd Ave as I had the camera and have wanted some Lilypad Forktail shots for awhile but couldn’t find any of those even.

Monday 7/12: Paine had the regular birds and some Somatochloras but not much else.

Monday 6/28-Tuesday 6/29: DSA Postmeeting in Jackman, ME.

Wednesday 6/30: Prospect Hill had an Indigo Bunting and a few marginally interesting dragonflies.

Thursday 7/1: Paine had a few butterflies and a good number of dragonflies although all fairly common.

Friday 7/2: Purgatory Cove was pretty quiet at lunch.

Saturday 7/3: Out to Otis for the night. Ovenbird walking next to me was about the best thing.

Sunday 7/4: Spinylegs and two uncaught Somatochloras to start the morning in Otis. On to New Salem where Ethan’s yard was quiet but I found a pair of Evening Grosbeaks up the hill.

Monday 7/5: 3 Broad-wings over Ethan’s were the best of the morning. Failed to catch the couple of Somatochloras.

Monday 6/21: Paine, not too much exciting. Couple interesting darners stayed too high to ID.

Tuesday 6/22: Didn’t get out.

Wednesday 6/23: Charles at lunch. Very few odes (few bluets, 1 baskettail, 1 slaty skimmer) but an Orchard Oriole was a nice surprise. Very early migrant or overlooked here? Also a family of mallards was running around the neighborhood in the afternoon, hope they made it across Trapelo safely.

Thursday 6/24 to Sunday 6/27: At the Dragonfly Society of the Americas annual meeting. Separate post sooner or later but highlights included getting a nemesis bird on the way up, 6 species of Ophiogomphus and 2 Neurocordulia plus various butterflies and a moose.

Monday 6/14: Paine: first Banded Hairstreak of the year plus a Painted Skimmer and Scarlet Tanagers right at the parking lot.

Tuesday 6/15: Duck ponds had a good selection of dragonflies and a kingfisher.

Wednesday 6/16: Prospect Hill was quiet (barely any bugs even).

Thursday 6/17: Charles was pretty quiet. Lots of swallows, a juvenal Wood Duck, fledgling House Wren, couple dancers that got away.

Friday 6/18: BBN had lots of the regular stuff but nothing really of note.

Saturday 6/19: Trail building at Shady Pond all day. Usual forest birds sang a bit but didn’t seem much. One interesting bluet (Skimming?).

Sunday 6/20: Didn’t really get out as had some computer things to deal with. While running up to Nashua, made brief stop in Tyngsboro to see if the Willow Flycatchers were singing. They weren’t but one of the Osprey passed over and both Green and Great Blue Herons flew over Rt. 3.

Two weeks since I forgot to post the previous one.

Monday 5/31: Main highlight, but an Ebony Jewelwing in the yard wasn’t bad either.

Tuesday 6/1: Prospect Hill was quiet. Didn’t get a good look as they went into the sun but pretty sure a Red-spotted Purple was chasing a White(ish) Admiral.

Wednesday 6/2: Looks like I didn’t do anything.

Thursday 6/3: Paine, quiet.

Friday 6/4: West Meadow. Turkey, meadowhawk, etc.

Saturday 6/5: Allergies bothering me, stayed in.

Sunday 6/6: BBC walk at Great Meadows, pretty quiet. Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, not much else. Rained the rest of the day.

Monday 6/7: Prospect Hill, quieter than last week.

Tuesday 6/8: Prospect Hill again (base today). Not much for birds but a Familiar Bluet partway up. Small swarm of saddlebags, green darner, spot-winged glider at the base. Noticed a different looking darner among them and grabbed the net. Turned out to be the state-listed Spatterdock Darner! No camera unfortunately.

Wednesday 6/9: Day off for Minuteman Survey (nothing different, numbers seemed a bit low but tons of traffic noise). Then ran up to Dunstable where I got Bobolink within safe dates and added Savannah Sparrow as well. No luck with any Empids though.

Thursday 6/10: Purgatory Cove/Forest Grove. Cloudy and quiet.

Friday 6/11: BBN had a Wild Turkey with at least 1 robin-sized chick. Also first of year Painted Skimmer.

Saturday 6/12: Probably posting separately but northern NH. Filled in the gaps that were Bicknell’s Thrush and Black-backed Woodpecker plus Rusty Blackbird and other stuff. Also several good butterflies including Arctic Skipper.

Sunday 6/13: Made a late morning trip to Arlington Great Meadows hoping for Alder Flycatcher. No luck with that (or Willow) but the usual stuff was around. Stopped at the Waltham St. Fields on the way home and got very wet.

Monday 5/24: West Meadow had an Orchard Oriole and not much else.

Tuesday 5/25: Tried for the nesting Yellow-throated Vireos at Forest Grove. Guessing the midday heat was the issue as I didn’t see them. Yet another Orchard Oriole and a presumed Cyrano Darner were about the only things of interest.

Wednesday 5/26: Prospect Hill before work was very quiet. Paine at lunch wasn’t much better (Indian Skipper was about it).

Thursday 5/27: Duck ponds were very quiet.

Friday 5/28: BBN before work had Willow Flycatcher and many, many mosquitos. Tried Forest Grove again and didn’t find the vireos again (apparently for a reason). Lots of woodpeckers and more Willow Flycatchers along with the same(?) Cyrano Darner.

Saturday 5/29: Probably posting separately for the weekend, but Assabet River NWR. No luck with goshawks but I spent most of my time watching dragonflies. Also checked Fort Pond Brook on the way home for more.

Sunday 5/30: Atlas run to Dunstable. Confirmed Wild Turkey and Prairie Warbler, would have added Bobolink and Willow Flycatcher but not in safe dates yet. Lots of good dragonflies as well.

Monday 5/17: BBN at lunch. No luck with the Hooded Warbler (eventually reported to have been present earlier in the morning) but a first spring Orchard Oriole wasn’t bad. Good number of butterflies, plus a Common Whitetail on the ride over.

Tuesday 5/18: Checked Paine. School group was running around screaming and the birds were slow. Spicebush Swallowtail was the only thing of note.

Wednesday 5/19: Checked Hardy Pond briefly in the rain, 7 cormorants were it.

Thursday 5/20: Prospect Hill before work had a few things (gate wasn’t open for some reason so I had to run up the hill and didn’t really reach the areas I wanted to check) including a Chestnut-sided or two, a Northern Waterthrush, and first of year Peck’s Skipper. The Charles at lunch was quiet but an Ebony Jewelwing flew in front of the car on the way back. After work was better and a nighthawk overhead around 7 was a good conclusion.

Friday 5/21: Beaver Brook: Bluebird, Swainson’s Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Empid sp, plus a bunch more jewelwings.

Saturday 5/22: Joined the MBC walk at Horn Pond. Fairly slow, first of year Willow Flycatchers being the highlight. Couple of us continued on nearby and got audio of a Mourning Warbler that was hanging out.

Sunday 5/23: MBC Century Run, more coming but we fell a bit short.