weekinreview – Page 56 – brewster's linnet . com

WIR 6/26-7/2

Wednesday 6/26: Started at Great Meadows, which was hot and quiet. Checked St. Anne’s fields again as I was debating a heard only flycatcher yesterday. Still unsure but likely just a Willow. Flushed a woodcock on the way in though. Another (well likely the same immature) Broad-wing over the yard.

Thursday 6/27: Kestrel and displaying Cooper’s at Dunback (plus a few million mosquitos).

Friday 6/28: People generally require you to do things like lunch on your last day of work.

Saturday 6/29: Long, disappointing day.

Sunday 6/30: Rock Meadow and Lone Tree Hill for bugs mostly. One Somatochlora sp, a few hairstreaks, and an Orchard Oriole.

Monday 7/1: Purgatory Cove had 3 BC Night-Herons and not much else. Lots of mosquitoes at Forest Grove. More night-herons along the river walk plus lots of Powdered and Blue-fronted Dancers.

Tuesday 7/2: Eventually wandered to Prospect Hill for butterflies even though it was still cloudy. Good numbers, although nothing exciting there. One good bird though with a singing Winter Wren down the Pine Ledges Trail. And a very nice dragonfly with a Mocha Emerald landing (picture here if I hadn’t drained my camera battery accidentally overnight). Circled the res on the way home and there was an eagle in the normal tree.

WIR 6/19-6/25

Wednesday 6/19: Spent the day odeing. Started trying to find a good access point for Ashby WMA but gave up and went to Townsend Hill instead. Very quiet there, best things were a couple Petite Emeralds and a Barn Swallow grabbing a Four-spotted Skimmer. Moved on to the Squannacook, which was rather high. Add in that it had clouded over a bit and there wasn’t much around. A few Stream Cruisers, some Racket-tailed Emeralds, and a Hylogomphus sp that got away. On to Arched Bridge in Dunstable, where there wasn’t much at the stream (only 2 jewelwings!). The path out to the quarry was a bit overgrown and it was fairly quiet, although the usual field birds were singing. A very worn elfin on the way out appeared to be an Eastern Pine. A quick run around the Cranberry Bog was very quiet but pushed the day’s total to 38+.

Thursday 6/20: Caught up on paperwork.

Friday 6/21: Baby raccoons and not much else at the duck ponds.

Saturday 6/22 and Sunday 6/23: DSA meeting in CT/RI, will write up something sooner or later.

Monday 6/24: Busy with other stuff.

Tuesday 6/25: Went out to Lincoln and enjoyed lots of Bobolinks at Farm Meadow.

WIR 6/12-6/18

Wednesday 6/12: Nothing doing.

Thursday 6/13: MNHP survey finally. Veeries and little else though, probably a little too late.

Friday 6/14: Another(?) Broad-wing over the house.

Saturday 6/15: Joined the Menotomy walk from Met State to Paine, didn’t see much beyond a juv Swamp Sparrow.

Sunday 6/16: Joined at ode walk at the Cranberry Bog. Mostly the same, the one interesting thing got away.

Monday 6/17: Nothing exciting at Prospect Hill.

Tuesday 6/18: Started with Rock Meadow and BBN (couple Blue-wings, a Redstart, not a whole lot else), then went to Great Meadows for the Sora show.

WIR 6/5-6/11

Wednesday 6/5: Arrowhead Spiketail at the duck ponds.

Thursday 6/6: Swamp Darner, Spot-winged Glider, and Pepper-and-salt Skipper at BBN.

Friday 6/7: Nothing at Hardy, Great Black-backed Gull at the res barely qualifies as interesting.

Saturday 6/8: Lazy day.

Sunday 6/9: Cranberry Bog again.

Monday 6/10: Black-crowned Night-Heron and Eastern Wood-Pewee at Forest Grove.

Tuesday 6/11: Too rainy.

WIR 5/29-6/4

Wednesday 5/29: Nothing on Hardy or the res.

Thursday 5/30: Great Meadows early, nothing too exciting. Wood Ducklings leaving a box was the best thing. Nothing too exciting at Prospect Hill either.

Friday 5/31: Dusted and Indian Skippers at BBN.

Saturday 6/1: Went exploring in Townsend for a bit. Caught lots and lots of Common Baskettails and had a few other things. Then went and chased a pelican that had apparently flown off half an hour before I started heading that way.

Sunday 6/2: Led a BBC trip to Great Meadows. Highlights were Least Bittern, American Coot, and a Mink stalking several families of Virginia Rail.

(Click through for more photos)

Went to the Carlisle Cranberry Bog after.

Monday 6/3: Orchard Oriole singing at Hardy Pond.

Tuesday 6/4: Usual birds (including ravens) and bugs at Prospect Hill.

WIR 5/22-5/28

Wednesday 5/22: Went to Rock Meadow and BBN. Good numbers of warblers including a Blackburnian, at least two Black-billed Cuckoos, and a few other things but my main highlight was a singing Alder Flycatcher, which is Waltham #204.

Thursday 5/23: Wandered to Mt. Auburn eventually. Worked for thrushes in the Dell with minimal success, then took a short wander where I found 2 Turkey Vultures in trees. Also an Indigo Bunting and late-ish Yellow-rump but struck out on the Mourning. Quick trip around the Cambridge Res had 2 Common Loons.

Friday 5/24: Quick loop of Prospect Hill had the adult ravens down near the start of the road, a few warblers (BT Green, Parula, Ovenbird were the most interesting), and 4 Indigo Buntings. Nothing on Cambridge Res or Flint’s Pond. Got a little brighter out, so continued to Great Meadows and had a beaver swimming right below the new platform and first Blue Dashers of the year.

Saturday 5/25: Cruised Cambridge Res, Flint’s Pond, Heard Pond, Purgatory Cove, etc without finding anything.

Sunday 5/26: Tried again for storm-blown birds. Lots of swallows including Bank at Heard and Hardy but nothing else of note.

Monday 5/27: Dunback had lots of the usual breeders (including bluebirds) but the only things resembling migrants were Redstarts. Quick stop at Hanscom got meadowlark and a Broad-wing.

Tuesday 5/28: Harvester at the duck ponds. Very good nighthawk show at Great Meadows at dusk but no Cave Swallow.

WIR 5/15-5/21

Wednesday 5/15: Prospect Hill, checked the view towards Polaroid without much (Rough-winged Swallow was a likely nester though). Quick walk to the water towers added a redstart.

Thursday 5/16: Rock Meadow before work, nothing unexpected. Forest Grove was pretty quiet beyond yet another Magnolia.

Friday 5/17: Spotted Sandpiper at Hardy Pond early. Veery and a few warblers at Paine plus a Stream Cruiser. A late White-throat in the yard was the first bird for birdathon.

Saturday 5/18: Birdathon/MBC big day. Highlights included a Great Egret at the Vine Brook marsh, Sora at Great Meadows, an Upland Sandpiper right next to Virginia Rd, and a late Ruddy on the Cambridge Res. Miscounted slightly and ended the day on 99, would have dug up one more if I had been aware.

Sunday 5/19: Pretty lazy after running around on Saturday. Eventually went to Dunback where I had a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, kestrel, Willow Flycatchers, and a handful of warblers.

Monday 5/20: Took some vacation time this week. Started at Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove, where a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was (surprisingly) new for the river for me but little else. I moved on to Nine Acre Corner and watched Barn Swallows gather mud until a Cliff buzzed through. Made a brief stop at Cat Rock Park on the way back, but it was so muggy I gave up quickly (did get first Lancet Clubtail of the season).

Tuesday 5/21: Twitch. Spent some time at Hellcat after and had 11 warblers in the couple of pines just outside the parking lot (including Canada and Cape May) plus a few more elsewhere on the trails.

WIR 5/8-5/14

Wednesday 5/8: Nothing exciting at Purgatory Cove (cygnets, few swallows, Great Crested Flycatcher did get me to 100 in Waltham this year).

Thursday 5/9: Rather heavy rain made things difficult (although better at noon than at 11:30 when the fire alarm went off) but Common Loon and some late(ish) ducks (Bufflehead, Ruddy, maybe a Ring-necked) at Cambridge Res.

Friday 5/10: Had to go to the RMV, so took a half day off and started at Mt. Auburn (BT Blue in the yard first actually). Warblers everywhere (12? species, mostly Black-and-white, BT Blue, BT Green, Parula) plus a few other things. After zipping through the line, I stopped at Purgatory Cove and saw nothing beyond a few Fragile Forktails.

Saturday 5/11: Cambridge Res was just about birdless (although a few things singing along the road weren’t bad). North end had 2 Orchard Orioles. Two Broad-wings over Busa but little else at Arlington Res.

Sunday 5/12: Mt. Auburn walk again. Something like 18 warblers including Bay-breasted and Blackburnian plus a hummingbird and Least Flycatcher. Once the rain cleared, I went to Prospect Hill. Fledgling ravens plus BT Blue, BT Green, Magnolia, and Prairie Warblers, Indigo Buntings, and a Painted Lady. The Black Vulture that went over later would have been nice though.

Monday 5/13: Ring-necked Duck still at Hardy Pond, nothing of note at Rock Meadow.

Tuesday 5/14: Lots of birds at BBN, 9 warblers and a few other things. Solitary Sandpiper (finally) at the duck ponds, along with some baby Wood Ducks.

WIR 5/1-5/7

Wednesday 5/1: Towhee was a third yard record to start the day. Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos all along the Charles plus a Hermit Thrush and a few Yellow-rumps.

Thursday 5/2: Juvenal’s Duskywing and not much else at Hayden Woods, think I can give up on that being a potential boghaunter site.

Friday 5/3: Left the house a couple minutes early and picked up a Common Loon flying over as I stepped out of the door for another new yard bird. Prospect Hill had first tiger swallowtail and whiteface sp (probably Hudsonian).

Saturday 5/4: Plan was to find some boghaunters today. Since it wouldn’t be warm enough early, I headed to Heard Pond to check for birds first. Nothing too exciting (a handful of Rusty Blackbirds, a Parula, etc), so I moved on to the Wayland Community Gardens. A House Wren (one back home too), a Henry’s Elfin, a raccoon, and a Common Yellowthroat made up most of the good stuff here.

Getting warm, so I headed to Assabet River. Ovenbirds and towhees calling all over and a Northern Waterthrush was vocal but hidden. No boghaunters by the end of the Patrol Road, so I took the first wooded trail back. I had a quick view of a Beaverpond (presumably) Baskettail and was debating running to Oxbow as I reached the short trail that cuts back to the road. Halfway down, there was a bit of movement and I quickly saw rings. Wasn’t a great spot for photos, but I think this one came out pretty good:

Back on the road, I worked my way out (and saw a second boghaunter and baskettail and heard another waterthrush).

With no need to go further west, I decided to head to the Charles. Lots of swallows opposite Purgatory Cove and some Fish Crows flew over (finally). A Great Crested Flycatcher and a Gray Catbird were calling near the Knob at Flowed Meadow, but otherwise it was fairly quiet. A Wood Duck apparently at a nest hole was interesting though.

Sunday 5/5: Started with a long walk at BBN. Blue-winged Warbler was in, as were orioles but fairly quiet otherwise. Went to Great Meadows with parents after, nothing exciting but too nice out to complain.

Monday 5/6: Awake early, so I went to Beaver Brook in the fog. Just about nothing there and I have no idea why I went out (although it worked out last time). Duck ponds at lunch had a Rough-winged Swallow and out-of-place Pine Warbler among other things.

Tuesday 5/7: River walk was fairly quiet, single Yellow-rump and Palm were the only nonbreeders.

WIR 4/24-4/30

Wednesday 4/24: Savannah Sparrows and not much else at Rock Meadow, cormorant over the house.

Thursday 4/25: Morning at Beaver Brook was slow enough that I covered the marsh too. Snapping Turtle beat out any of the birds. West Meadow at lunch had a gnatcatcher and nothing else.

Friday 4/26: Tried Purgatory Cove again. No sign of the warbler but first of year Northern Parula.

Saturday 4/27: Finally caught up with the Clay-colored at Arlington Res. Also had a Field Sparrow next to it and Warbling Vireo and Eastern Kingbird around the res. No boghaunter at AGM, but one Brown Elfin and Brown Thrasher and some towhees weren’t bad. Hayden Woods had a singing Winter Wren in a very quick check. Surprise Red-shoulded Hawk flyover late afternoon was a somewhat unexpected yardbird.

Sunday 4/28: Mt. Auburn was quiet, couple Parula, couple Black-and-white, 3+ Blue-headed Vireo was about it. Purgatory Cove and Forest Grove were fairly quiet too, more of the same plus first Eastern Forktails of the year.

Monday 4/29: BBN was very quiet, few birds and few butterflies. Chimney Swifts overhead were yard bird #50 for the year.

Tuesday 4/30: Dunback before work was close to dead. Did get first of year catbirds, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Yellow Warbler. Nothing good at the duck ponds either.