WIR 10/2-10/8

Wednesday 10/2: Fairly quiet at Great Meadows, wasn’t quite nice or lousy enough. Did have a close Pileated and a flyover Rusty plus a couple Bronze Coppers.

Thursday 10/3: 2 Solitary, RE Vireo, BT Green, 40+ waxwings about it at BBN.

Friday 10/4: Green Heron at Pelham Island Rd bridge, then a very early Common Merganser at Heard Farm. Thought that would be a good day, but got an interesting text at work.

Saturday 10/5: Not much at Danehy (FOF White-crown), tanager at Thorndike Field. Had been debating Oxbow and Fitch’s Bridge Rd but went to Arlington Res instead. Got the Pec plus a Gadwall and a few other things. Continued to Ricci Fields which had a coyote, a few butterflies, a couple Palms, and that was about it. Stopped at Hobbs Brook on the way home, 5 deer were trying to get through a panicking flock of ducks which included a Ring-necked and a Hooded Merganser was further out. Water level was down enough to check the other section, just Killdeer and an Osprey.

Sunday 10/6: Led the MBC walk at Waltham St. Really tough getting cooperative birds, but I think most people got on the Field Sparrow and White-crowned and eventually one of the Dickcissels. Most of us continued to Beaver Brook where the godwit was still being cooperative. It eventually flew to the other pond (crossing into Waltham airspace, #219!) and then back. I moved on to Kaveski which was pretty quiet and then the res which had an eagle and nothing else.

Monday 10/7: Vesper Sparrow at Rock Meadow, godwit became #225 on the commute list (in exactly 5 years on the job).

Tuesday 10/8: Weather cleared just enough and wind didn’t pick up any, so went to BBN. Nothing on the marsh, so I decided to run to the West Meadow. Usual stuff there. Did have 3 Chimney Swifts circle over when I got back to the car. Two Ring-necks on the res on the way home.

Hudsonian!

Phone dinged while I was on a checkin call this morning. Cliff: “if you’re out birding, hudsonian godwit at lower mill st pond at beaver brook”. “!!!” Realized I had a couple hours before anything urgent, so I sent a quick message saying I’ll be back in an hour and ran out.

Twenty five minutes later:

GodwitYes, on the heavily vegetated side and not the drained pond.

 

County 302, patch 180!

WIR 9/25-10/1

Wednesday 9/25: Finally had a decent flock of warblers at BBN including several Parula, BT Green, B+W, Nashville, Prairie, and Blackpoll (plus a few more BT Green elsewhere). Didn’t have time to check the upper parkway or sort through other flocks unfortunately.

Thursday 9/26: First White-throat of the fall at Rock Meadow but little else there and at the duck ponds.

Friday 9/27: Ton of Monarchs, a Tennessee, etc at Heard Farm. Lesser Yellowlegs at the Pelham Island Rd bridge.

Saturday 9/28: Suffolk run. Started at Deer Island, where I had a Tennessee Warbler, BT Green, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and not a ton else. Monarchs and ladies everywhere. Winthrop Beach next, a dog ran through the flocks before I got to them so not too much. Fisherman’s Bend had the American Golden-Plover but it was too windy (and the tide too high and too sunny) for much else. Drove along Revere Beach without much then stopped at Earhart (one Snowy Egret) on the way home.

Sunday 9/29: Joined Marj’s MBC walk that ended up at Dunback. Slowish start, eventually had a pocket with towhee, BT Green, Parula, and Black-and-white. At the bridge we had a slightly cooperative Connecticut (slightly as in 3 of us had brief views and a couple others saw and heard it fly). Back at the clearing, we had a few more warblers including Magnolia and Pine plus BH and RE Vireos, oriole, RB Grosbeak.

I continued to Hobbs Brook, which was very slightly down finally and had a Greater Yellowlegs then Arlington Res which had good numbers of the usual shorebirds plus a Pied-billed Grebe.

Monday 9/30: Went to Forest Grove. Got to the bridge, started to spish and a Blue-winged Warbler came right in. Fairly quiet the rest of the way around, so I had time to go back and try for better photos. No Blue-winged but a Nashville was nice.

Tuesday 10/1: Got out to Westborough again finally. No CT (but Tim didn’t have any after I left either). Did finally get a Lincoln’s for Worcester county plus sapsucker, 3 Indigos, etc.

WIR 9/18-9/24

Wednesday 9/18: Dunback was fairly quiet although I shouldn’t have listened to Marj and gone into the woods instead of down Bacon… Had a work function in Needham, ducked over to Millennium after, nothing really noteworthy.

Thursday 9/19: Sedge Meadow was fairly quiet, redstart, B+W, not much else.

Friday 9/20: First of fall pipits and Palm Warbler at Barrett’s Mill Farm.

Saturday 9/21: Started at Danehy. No Lark Sparrow but a nice Philadelphia Vireo. Earhart had 7 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 Snowy Egrets. Nothing at Waltham St.

Sunday 9/22: Walked to BBN. Did manage 10 warblers although none terribly exciting, a perched Broad-wing, and fairly quiet otherwise.

Monday 9/23: Dunback was totally dead, a Syrphid the only thing of any interest.

Tuesday 9/24: Got an oil change so only had a few minutes on Pelham Island Rd. Indigo Bunting, 2 Solitary, 1 Spotted Sandpiper about it.

WIR 9/11-9/17

Wednesday 9/11: Absolutely nothing at Elm Brook and Kaveski/Meriam’s. Did have a grosbeak in the yard though.

Thursday 9/12: Avoided the rain at Pelham Island Rd but got a good bit at Heard Pond, nothing exciting at either.

Friday 9/13: Prospect Hill was pretty dead except for another screech-owl responding to the scold.

Saturday 9/14: Led an MBC walk at BBN: GW Teal, Prairie Warbler, not a ton else. Buckeye was the only thing of note in a quick check of Waltham St. Went to Gloucester for the afternoon, walked Magnolia Point and checked Rafe’s Chasm without seeing much.

Sunday 9/15: Went to the hawk watch on Watatic. Pretty slow day, although it picked up enough in the afternoon to not be a complete waste. Had a moderate selection of warblers on the way up and a couple grouse on the way down.

Monday 9/16: All the usual shorebirds at Arlington Res.

Tuesday 9/17: Parula, Field Sparrow, Sharpie, and a probable Mourning Warbler were it at Wayland Community Gardens.

WIR 9/4-9/10

Wednesday 9/4: Great Meadows for passerines was a waste of time.

Thursday 9/5: Not much at Heard Farm.

Friday 9/6: Decent flock of warblers got away at BBN, then not much after.

Saturday 9/7: Started with a hope for storm-related birds at Great Meadows but since the rain had stopped and it wasn’t all that windy I didn’t have high hopes. Great Egret, eagle, not a whole lot else. Continued to Hobbs Brook which had another egret and nothing else, then Arlington Res (wigeon) and Waltham St (nothing).

Sunday 9/8: Attempted a pelican chase. Went to Marblehead Neck first. Fairly decent there, 10 species of warblers and a kingbird. Went towards Salem and promptly got stuck in a road race, after 20 minutes of going nowhere I gave up. Stopped at Bare Meadow in Reading on the way home, not much.

Monday 9/9: Pretty quiet at BBN except for a Screech-Owl responding to the scold tape, site #161.

Tuesday 9/10: Went to Westborough for a change. Lots of birds although nothing exciting. Highlights were 3 singing YT Vireos, a Red-shoulder, and a thrasher.

WIR 8/28-9/3

Wednesday 8/28: Nothing unexpected at Gaining Ground/Hanscom.

Thursday 8/29: Finally got a Semipalmated Sandpiper at BBN, otherwise the same plus a fisher or mink running across the parkway. Solitary Sandpiper flew past the yard in the evening.

Friday 8/30: Wayland Community Gardens were pretty dead. Three Osprey at Heard Pond. Finally had a couple nighthawks at home.

Saturday 8/31: A short local loop had a young Field Sparrow at Waltham St and more of the same at BBN. Out to Otis where I eventually wandered off to Colebrook Lake. On the quiet side but a couple Semipalms (both plovers and sandpipers) and 3 Greater Yellowlegs plus a Canada Warbler (GB Heron and Mallard were Berkshire county birds too somehow).

Sunday 9/1: Did the walk to Upper Spectacle before heading out. May have been too early, really dark in the woods most of the way. Ten warblers including Magnolia, 2 Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, 9+ BT Blue plus a probable Red Crossbill.

Monday 9/2: Did a Squantum area run. Squaw Rock park had about 3 migrants but the Wilson’s Warbler and Yellow-billed Cuckoo were ones I needed for Norfolk and the Tennessee was nice too. Not many birds at Passanageset but I got distracted by a large number of Twelve-spotted Tiger Beetles. Back to Squantum where Commander Shea Blvd was pretty slow (one probably Saltmarsh Sparrow and one hole to step in), nothing at Orchard Beach, and just small numbers of the normal sandpipers at the marshes. Traffic wasn’t too bad, so went up to Draw Seven and Earhart on the way home, 2 ravens were the only things of note.

Tuesday 9/3: A few redstarts, a BT Green, a kingbird, and 2 Least Flycatchers at Dunback.

WIR 8/21-8/27

Wednesday 8/21: Absolutely nothing at Forest Grove. Cruised by Heard Pond on the way home in case the rain had dropped something in. Nothing there but noticed the water level was down on the river so stopped for a few seconds and had a snipe, 2 Least, and 2 Solitary before the rain picked up again.

Thursday 8/22: Lesser Yellowlegs finally at BBN, not a whole lot beyond.

Friday 8/23: Solitaries and Least at Pelham Island Rd. Should have skipped that as ran short on time at Heard Farm where there was a Lesser Yellowlegs, Canada and Black-and-white Warblers, a redstart, and a bunch of swallows.

Saturday 8/24: Thought radar looked good overnight but minimal migrants on the ground. Headed to Alewife but they’re doing work so Acorn Park and the first bit of path was inaccessible. Danehy instead had an Indigo Bunting and Least Flycatcher but little else. Thorndike Field was being mowed so nothing there. With no migrants, skipped on trying near Dilboy and went to Torbert MacDonald instead. RB Grosbeak, gnatcatcher, lots of mockingbirds, one interesting shorebird that flew around at a distance. Snowy Egret was visible in front of the casino from Draw Seven but when I went over I couldn’t find it again. Did have 25ish Semipalmated Sandpipers and a Peregrine.

Sunday 8/25: Did the long walk to the duck ponds. Started nicely with a Blue-winged and Yellow Warbler along with Great Crested Flycatcher at Falzone. Nothing else at Lot 1, nothing on the boardwalk, no different sandpipers at BBN (Pec was there yesterday), and nothing on Mackerel. Rock Meadow was quiet. Greater Yellowlegs at the duck ponds appears to be my 150th bird on foot from home (Lesser was #149 earlier). Nothing else at Rock Meadow or BBN on the way back, walked down Trapelo instead of back through the West Meadow. Redstart and 3 Green Heron fledglings at Lot 1 on the way out.

Monday 8/26: One redstart was about it at Prospect Hill.

Tuesday 8/27: More of the same at Nobscot.

WIR 8/14-8/20

Wednesday 8/14: Nothing exciting at Sudbury Great Meadows.

Thursday 8/15: Parula, 15+ Least, family of Cooper’s, and a Broad-wing at BBN.

Friday 8/16: Nothing out of the expected at Meriam’s.

Saturday 8/17: Did a coastal swing. Deer Island was more or less fogged in and didn’t have much for land birds. Lots of Black-bellied Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones at Fisherman’s Bend but not in a good spot to search through. Got the Little Blues at Belle Isle easily but had to climb the tower to find the Whimbrel (Suffolk #214). Still 2 Stilt Sandpipers (Norfolk #176) at Squantum plus a couple Pecs, 2 White-rumps, lots of the common stuff.

Sunday 8/18: Started at Earhart. No egrets today. Still minimal shorebirds, only 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers and a flyby Least. Draw Seven was quiet. Horn Pond was quiet, but while talking to Bob just before I left he picked out the coot hidden on one of the islands and then an eagle flew over. Sandy Beach was pretty quiet beyond what was probably the same eagle. Blair Pond was very quiet.

Monday 8/19: Nothing much at Dunback, probable Blue-winged the most interesting (a better view would have been nice, especially after a Lawrence’s turned up Tuesday). Hummingbird near the yard in the afternoon.

Tuesday 8/20: BT Green, 2 Redstarts, and a bunch of kingbirds at Nobscot.

WIR 8/7-8/13

Wednesday 8/7: Great Egret and the usual at Wayland Community Gardens.

Thursday 8/8: Rain overnight flooded the parkway marsh again, so only 2 Solitaries and not much else. Did have an eagle over the highway on the way to work.

Friday 8/9: Nothing different at Rock Meadow. Another eagle over 128 on the way to work and an Osprey on the way home.

Saturday 8/10: Parkway marsh was still too wet in a quick check. Nothing exciting at Fawn Lake. Final ode walk of the year at the Cranberry Bog was pretty slow, too windy? Osprey was a Carlisle bird for me finally.

Sunday 8/11: Did the ABNC trip on the Miller’s with Alan and Soheil. Checked Knox Trail quickly before I met them, nothing of note. Rubyspot, Dragonhunter, and some Stylurus (Zebra and apparently Arrow) Clubtails on the river. We continued to Lake Rohunta and had a single Banded Pennant, then a quiet Branch Bridge Rd. Quick walk along the edge of the School St fields didn’t turn up a Savannah on the way home.

Monday 8/12: Water level was down at BBN but nothing exciting there beyond 3 Green Herons and 6-7 Solitary Sandpipers.

Tuesday 8/13: Nothing at Prospect Hill.