Saturday, April 30, 2016

Beautiful Afternoon in Boston

Warning:  There are no "Things with Wings" in this post!

Jealous of my brother's photos of the Public Gardens, I wanted to visit them myself while the tulips were still in bloom.  It was very busy with other visitors, professional photographers and people just enjoying the beautiful day.  I was so happy to see the tulips.  Gorgeous!



Actually, I could count a swan boat as a thing with wings!














After the Public Gardens, I stopped at Acorn Street on Beacon Hill (which had been on my bucket list) and Louisburg Square at Ken's urging.  Acorn Street may be the most frequently photographed street in the United States.  Louisburg Square is one of the most expensive residential neighborhoods in the United States, with townhouses selling for over $11M in the 2011/2012 timeframe.  




Later, I met up with my brother and niece and we visited the Museum of Fine Arts and saw the majority of the "Art in Bloom" special event.  Garden Clubs and professional designers from across New England created floral arrangements inspired by works of art in the MFA.  The arrangements were scattered throughout the regular collections, but they provided a map that aided our search.   The following photos without floral arrangements were just other items in the regular collection that caught my eye.

  


 



  






  


 




Following the museum, we stopped for a little light supper after a day filled with walking!  YUM.



A Birdy Morning in Westboro

Hoping for some warblers, I headed over to Westboro around 7:30 AM.  It was a lovely morning, in the high 40s and sunny.  The birds were beautiful!  Lots of migrants.  Highlights were:

Yellow Warbler

Cedar Waxwing

Savannah Sparrow

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Yellow-Throated Vireo

 again

Palm Warbler
(What a nice pose!  Thank you!)

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

This was the most common warbler sighting, and I didn't take the time to get a good photo!  Rats!

Warbling Vireo


Species seen:

  1. American Robin
  2. Black-Capped Chickadee
  3. Blue Jay
  4. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
  5. Canada goose
  6. Cedar Waxwing
  7. Downy Woodpecker
  8. Eastern Towhee (song only)
  9. Gray Catbird
  10. Mute Swan
  11. Northern Cardinal
  12. Palm Warbler
  13. Red-Winged Blackbird
  14. Savannah Sparrow
  15. Song Sparrow
  16. Warbling Vireo
  17. White-Breasted Nuthatch
  18. White-Throated Sparrow
  19. Yellow Warbler
  20. Yellow-Rumped Warbler
  21. Yellow-Throated Vireo