WIR 11/6-11/12

Wednesday 11/6: Chased the Dunlin at Heard Farm. Decent flyby view (I assume, I went camera first) and then a shrike.

Dunlin

Yellowlegs

Way Distant Shrike

Thursday 11/7: Fox Sparrow, Catbird, and Barred Owl at Dunback. Light conditions were good at Cambridge Res and I was able to count 210+ Ring-necks. Hobbs Brook end had a Greater Yellowlegs, Gadwall, and 30+ Green-winged Teal.

Friday 11/8: Arlington Res: lots of dabblers, a Pectoral Sandpiper, lots of juncos and Song Sparrows. Then chased the Western Kingbird in Concord. Got it before I even reached the crowd, but took another hour to get better views.

Saturday 11/9: Joined the MBC trip to Dunback (probably a different catbird, 5-7 Fox Sparrow, and a Purple Finch). Cambridge Res after. Nothing along Winter St and the big flock by Trapelo was in an odd spot so I almost kept going. Noticed a bit of an opening where I could pull over and in the first group I looked at was a Long-tailed Duck! Up and out with the scope and going through the Ring-necks I found a Redhead too!

Long-tail

Sunday 11/10: Started at Rock Meadow which had lots of robins and finches but nothing of any interest. Decided to check the duck ponds for the first time in a couple months and was rewarded with a patch tick Gadwall! Moved on to the res (same birds but the flock was too far to pick out the Redhead) and then Flint’s (Red-necked Grebe) and Waltham St. Fields (GB Heron, Kingfisher, and flyover cormorant).

Monday 11/11: Started at Lindentree, which was dead. Moved on to check some goose fields and found no geese. Next was the Charles including a handful of GW Teal at Norumbega, 3 Shoveler at Charlesbank, and fire engines at Purgatory Cove. Skipping that, I went to the other bit of Waltham St and had another catbird and not much else. An afternoon check of the res found the flock even more distant.

Tuesday 11/12: Waited out the snow and then went to the res. Big flock of Ring-necks way out but fortunately the Redhead was with a smaller flock at the Trapelo end. On to Flint’s where there were 2 Surf Scoters. Gulls and Hoodies at Hobbs Brook and Hardy.

Redhead