Wednesday 4/17: School vacation week meant Waltham St. was easy to reach at 8 in the morning, so went over there for snipe. Bunch of Savannahs moving around the fields to start. At the back, a Brown Thrasher was singing. Eventually kicked one snipe out from the front, although it didn’t cooperate. Walking out, a meadowlark flew across the field, second new species for me there today. Still had a decent bit of time, so I walked the playing fields at Dunback, adding bluebird and a few other things of minimal interest. Quick stop at Hardy had 5 Ring-necks and over 20 Ruddy.
Thursday 4/18: Nothing much at Cookson. Three Night Herons near the square were ‘commute’ #100 for the year.
Friday 4/19: Barn Swallow, bunch of Yellow-rumps, few Palms at Arlington Res. Nothing new at the res or Hardy.
Saturday 4/20: Waited out the rain (raven chased by crows around the neighborhood), then started at the res. Thought four ducks were all mergansers, but scoped and found a Ruddy and a Horned Grebe. Mergansers didn’t raise their heads but looked more like Red-breasted. The RT Loons were around too and I found an awake Red-breasted Merganser looking way back.
Buzzed through Nine Acre (3 ibis still, didn’t check for much else), then went to Heard Pond. Walking down past the boat ramp, I had FOY gnatcatcher and a bunch of Yellow-rumps. Trail through Griscom Woods was fairly quiet and the bridge was not in good shape. Quick scan at the end had nothing, I turned around to leave and heard a noise, so turned back. A bittern was flying off! Watched it drop back in, then did a bit more of the road.
Had to grab something in Watertown from there, so stopped east of the square and saw very little.
Sunday 4/21: First Mt. Auburn walk of the year. Fairly quiet, but helped by a foreign visitor who enjoyed everything and the group’s interest in showing everything. Ran over to Earhart after, no night herons or much of note. Gave the western view at Prospect Hill close to an hour, a few Red-tails and vultures, one Cooper’s, and one Buteo that didn’t strike me as a Red-tail.
Monday 4/22: Usual at Weston Station Pond, singing Field Sparrow, lots of swallows, good number of Yellow-rumps and Palms.
Tuesday 4/23: Seven(!) Great Blues and a BC Night Heron at Falzone. Land birds were more limited, nothing particularly of note.