Concord.
Ther [Thermometer] Thursday, May 10, 1917 Wea [weather]
50 [degrees] Large flock migrant Chippies [Chipping Sparrow]. Dull.
Cloudy with strong, cold northerly wind.
Several brief but brisk showers in P.M.
Vegetation at a stand-still. A few stalks
of asparagus showing several ago have
not grown perceptibly since.
First noted: Least Flycatcher, silent bird,
in shrubbery bordering on lane. Purple Martin
heard Davis Hill.
  Shortly after 8 A.M. I flushed at least 25
Chippies [Chipping Sparrow] in our orchard. They flew up all at
once from recently ploughed ground beneath an
apple tree. Never have I seen so many together before
in spring. Must have come fr. S. [from south] last night.
  George & I spent forenoon in Prescott pine woods
clearing path around N. [north] end Davis swamp. Solitary
Vireo & Ruby crown K. [Ruby-crowned Kinglet] singing there. Birds mostly
silent at wind swept Farm. House Wren sang
& 2 Flickers shouted, early morn. Bluebird
warbling at sunset. Robins wholly silent.
Timmy starts no Partridges now.
  Dexter [Smith Owen Dexter] came down to luncheon. After it we
sat by fire until 4 P.M. talking over war etc.
Prof. Norton called later staying half an hour.

Concord. Universal boldness & numbers of Crows.
Ther [Thermometer] Friday, May 11, 1917 Wea [weather]
40 [degrees], 60 Dull
Still another harsh, gloomy, sunless day
decidedly colder than yesterday with high N.W. [northwest]
wind. Motoring to town in early P.M. I
was chilled through although wearing two heavy
overcoats & also protected by a fur robe. The
landscape wears a dreary aspect more
suggestive of mid April than of the present
date. Forsythia has struggled into bloom
at last. Squills & daffodils at best. No
fruit blossoms yet.
  Bird life but little in evidence either
to sight or hearing. Only birds heard singing
were 2 Flickers, 2 Peabody birds, a Solitary Vireo
& a Ruby crowned Kinglet. Single Junco &
Downy W. [Downy Woodpecker] in lane. Partridge started near spring.
2 Starlings [males] in meadow opp. [opposite] Mr. Howe's house.
Crows unprecedently [unprecedentedly] numerous, noisy & bold
in this neighborhood. Six or eight of them close
about buildings all day alighting in dooryard
elms & feeding freely in poultry yard. Burbank
says they first appeared when he spread two
car loads of horse manure in our fields.
  Spent forenoon with George in Prescott pines
raking & brushing out foot paths then
motored to Cd. [Concord] at 1.45 to swear to my 
tangible tax returns before Charlie Richardson.