If there's any requirement more basic to birdwatching than getting outside, I don't know what it is. But all spring and summer, I was so busy that I scarcely saw the outdoors, except through my windshield. Finally, last Sunday, I was able to go for a walk on the Mystic, as I used to do religiously, before I got so busy.
By way of reward, I came on this great egret, just downstream of the dam. Egrets have been abundant this summer in the Rumney Marsh (one of the things I've seen quite a bit of from my car window), but I've never seen an egret of any kind here in Somerville before.
I'm still plenty busy, but I hope to see at least a little migratory action this September. I mostly missed out on May, to the detriment of my list. (This has been something of a disastrous year for my list. In fact, great egret is one of only three new additions, against two subtractions. But at least, thanks to great egret, I'll end my year in the black.)
Just got to get outside.
