April 2016

After a couple non-birding weeks I was back to the patch and was surprised by patch-tick Peregrine Falcon flying over the softball pitch. The Red-Tailed Hawks also continued their courtship in the same area.

Saturday 16th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.

A couple days later, with good weather, the migrants were starting to arrive. Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Palm Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler and Red-Winged Blackbird all in attendance.

I also found a couple of Hermit Thrush at Willow Pond and at Ward’s a site-tick Turkey Vulture drifted overhead.

Monday 18th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Monday 18th, Willow Pond, MA, USA.
Monday 18th, Ward’s Pond, MA, USA.

Later in the day, on the way back from Ikea I spotted an unmistakable American Kestrel hovering over the grass in a roadside field.

Monday 18th, Route 24, Old Landfill Field, MA, USA.

During the next week’s visits, I found a site-tick Savannah Sparrow on the Brookline side of Leverett Pond, not a species I was really expecting to find here. FOY Double-Crested Cormorant flew in and Northern Rough-Winged Swallow arrived. Yellow-Rumped Warbler reached a peak of 20, minimum.

Wednesday 20th, Thursday 21st & Saturday 23rd, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.

Thursday 20th, Ward’s Pond, MA, USA.

The following week was notable for up to 6 Northern Rough-Winged Swallow, plus FOY Warbling Vireo, 2 Blue-Headed Vireo and 2 Black-Crowned Night Heron.

Monday 25th, Wednesday 26th & Thursday 28th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.

My only visit to the Boston Public Gardens this month yielded 3 Hermit Thrush and a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet on Wednesday 27th.

The final visit to Leverett Pond this month resulted in 6 Chipping Sparrow on the south of the Brookline side, and FOY Baltimore Oriole. The 2 Red-Tailed Hawk were also noticeable over the softball pitches again where I by now assumed they were nesting in the nearby trees.

Saturday 30th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.

March 2016

I again started the month with visits to the public gardens where increasing numbers of up to 20 Common Grackle heralded the spring.

Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd, Monday 7th & Tuesday 8th, Boston Public Garden, MA, USA.

An Olmsted Park visit in beautiful early spring weather provided the expected mix of winter and early spring migrants.

Sunday 13th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Sunday 13th, Willow Pond, MA, USA.

The next week on Leverett Pond there was a male Green-Winged Teal that was apparently trying to woo a female Mallard! Also a notable Hairy Woodpecker and two displaying Red-Tailed Hawks over the softball pitch.

I managed two further visits later in the month when regular migrants and residents were recorded.

Sunday 20th, Sunday 26th & Wednesday 30th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.

With full spring migration round the corner I decided to make Leverett Pond the main focus of my birding activities. I was really keen to see exactly what the site had to offer during May migration. In previous years I had favoured visiting Boston Public Gardens and chasing at other sites, for example, Mt. Auburn. However I wanted to give Leverett my full attention, see what migrants it attracted and to hopefully elevate my eBird list for the site.

February 2016

Three consecutive daily visits to the public gardens and the Mallards were back in numbers after the deep freeze. I also saw a FOY adult Common Grackle - the promise of spring to come.

Monday 1st, Tuesday 2nd & Wednesday 3rd, Boston Public Gardens, MA, USA.

At the weekend I tried again, successfully this time, for the BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, which was pretty close to the shore for several minutes. A very handsome drake and a long sought after life-tick, the only disappointment was that I wasn’t able to get any photos because it was diving too frequently.

Sunday 7th, Kennedy Library Seawall, MA, USA.

The next week’s visits to the public gardens, with good numbers of American Robin seen one morning.

Tuesday 9th & Wednesday 10th, Boston Public Gardens, MA, USA.

Olmsted Park patch visit for a site-tick Lesser Scaup, one of the two that was previously at Willow Pond, where one still remained.

Sunday 21st, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Sunday 21st, Willow Pond, MA, USA.

The next day I visited the public gardens where all the water had been drained from the pond. There was also a Northern Mockingbird in the 9/11 garden.

Monday 22nd, Boston Public Gardens, MA, USA.

January 2016

A busy month to start the year, and to start the month, a couple of late Common Grackle in Pierce Park on Saturday 2nd.

I then decided to chase a couple of Massachusetts and life-ticks at local reservoirs: Northern Shoveler then REDHEAD and LESSER SCAUP respectively. The latter two were among some good numbers of wildfowl at Cambridge Reservoir, unfortunately though it was not the easiest place to view as there was no off-road parking.

Sunday 3rd, Arlington Reservoir, MA, USA.
Sunday 3rd, Cambridge Reservoir, MA, USA.

A Leverett Pond patch visit yielded regular winter species on Monday 18th.

A couple of visits to the public gardens were notable for the fast diminishing open water, though several Mallards tenaciously clung on to what was left.

Tuesday 19th & Wednesday 20th, Boston Public Gardens, MA, USA.

After winter storm Jonas bustled through the area I visited Leverett Pond again hoping for some different movement...and was rewarded with my first Massachusetts Bald Eagle. It flew from JP to the north of Leverett Pond, and because I was at the south of the pond, I was unfortunately unable to get photos, but this was a species I had been hoping to see for some time. Also notable was a dapper male Northern Pintail.

Sunday 24th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Sunday 24th, Willow Pond, MA, USA.

A couple more public garden visits confirmed the weekend storm had finally driven the Mallards off the frozen pond. The next day I returned and was rewarded with a site-tick Fox Sparrow, which was foraging on the ground near Washington’s statue.

Monday 25th & Tuesday 26th, Boston Public Gardens, MA, USA.

Another Olmsted Park patch visit: Leverett Pond was notable for good numbers of Wood Duck and a couple of American Crow - not all that common here.

At Willow Pond were two Lesser Scaup, a good site-tick, and much easier and closer views than the ones I had earlier in the month at Cambridge Reservoir.

Wednesday 27th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Wednesday 27th, Willow Pond, MA, USA.
Wednesday 27th, Ward’s Pond, MA, USA.

I ended the month with another chase. This time a Barrow’s Goldeneye at the Kennedy Library Seawall, but I was unsuccessful. However I did see good numbers of winter sea ducks, enjoyed the walk and was able to experience a hotspot new to me (once I found my way through the construction site onto the actual wall!).

Saturday 30th, Kennedy Library Seawall, MA, USA.

December 2015

After returning north I had a quiet month, though I did twitch a life-tick YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT in downtown Boston.

Wednesday 9th, P.O. Square, Boston, MA, USA.



I only managed one Olmsted Park patch visit. Usual winter species were in attendance, but there was a surprise flock of approx. 20 Common Grackle in one of the nearby gardens.

Sunday 20th, Leverett Pond, MA, USA.
Sunday 20th, Willow Pond, MA, USA.

November 2015

I started the month with a regular Boston Public Garden visit but was rewarded with a site-tick Cooper’s Hawk soaring over the city on Wednesday 4th.

A couple of weeks later I was off to Florida again for Thanksgiving with the family. Although on this trip I had less time to spend at some of the fantastic places there, I was still able to get out a few times.
I visited Venice Rookery for an excellent selection of resident and some migrants/over-wintering species, including a flock of very argumentative and noisy Black-Bellied Whistling Duck.

Saturday 21st, Venice Rookery, FL, USA.

A few days a later I went to Shamrock Park and was rewarded with some excellent close views of a favourite of mine: Florida Scrub Jay. A couple were in close attendance of a Loggerhead Shrike on both sides of the inter-coastal water. They were so engrossed they didn’t really seem to notice me at all. Along the waterway I also saw an immature YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON stalking through the mangrove roots, which was a nice life-tick.

Tuesday 24th, Shamrock Park, FL, USA.

On the way home I stopped by a little drainage pond on Bowdoin Road and saw more Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks as well as American Coot and Common Gallinule/Moorhen.

Tuesday 24th, Bowdoin Road, FL, USA.

On Thanksgiving day, as the turkey cooked, I managed to run out to Cedar Point Park, a new place to me. I went on the off-chance of seeing a reddish egret but did not, however it was a good walk and I saw a Bald Eagle nest with apparently recently fledged youngsters still in the area with the parents.

Thursday 26th, Cedar Point Park, FL, USA.