First apple blossoms. Concord
Gigantic, fresh-built Musk rat (?) house.
Ther [Thermometer] Thursday, May 24, 1917 Wea [Weather]
Many mig. [migratory] Warblers. Song of one new to me Fair
2 Whistler drakes in river at Davis Hill.
Forenoon sunny; afternoon cloudy. Strong W. [west] wind.
A few apple blossoms open by late P.M.
Immense, fresh-built Muskrat (?) house in Holden
M. [Holden Meadow] near S. [south] end Davis Hill. It is 5 ft. high & as wide
at base. Tapers evenly on every side to pointed apex.
Large sods in its sides covered with green grass. I
saw all this thro. [through] glass at 60 yds. Water in pools 
about it. What can have built such a thing at this season?
  First Wilson's Blackcap ([female] B.H. [Ball's Hill]) & Green Heron,
2 Whistler drakes in river at Davis Hill. In
dull nup. pl. [nuptial plumage] White markings on cheeks looked
like those of islandica i.e. crescent shaped. Watched
both birds long thro. [through] glass at 60 yds.
  Spent most of forenoon (9-12) rambling with
Timmy to Ball's Hill via Davis Hill & back
via Holden Hill. Shot a Gray Squirrel in Davis Sw. [Davis Swamp]
Warblers in great numbers & variety
scattered everywhere & assembled in small
flocks in sheltered places especially at
Davis Hill & Swamp. Only a few at B.H. [Ball's Hill]
2 Bay-breasts [Bay-breasted Warbler], 1 Black thr. Blue [Black-throated Blue Warbler], hordes of
Usnea [Usnea Warbler], Chestnut-sided [Chestnut-sided Warbler], Oven birds & Mniotiltas &
D. virens [Dendroica virens]. In dense white pine woods by
Glacial, Hollow, Pine Hill, heard a wholly
unfamiliar song evidently Warbler's, repeated
many times close at hand. It sounded
like whit-te whit, whit, te whit-te dee.
It was loud & rapid, ending like a Maryland
Yel. Throat's [Maryland Yellow-throat] song. I could see only a Bay breast [Bay-breasted Warbler] [male],
a D. virens [Dendroica virens], a D. caerulescens [Dendroica caerulescens] [male] (singing usual
song) a Redstart & 2 Oven birds.
  Took a short walk at eve through
Cedar Park & Pas. [Berry Pasture]
  Blue Jays swarming everywhere to-day.
Almost as many as one ever sees in fall.
Very noisy. Evidently egg hunting

The Whistler drakes showed decidedly less white than does C. am. [Clangula americana] It appeared to be
restricted, especially above, as in islandica

Concord, Cambridge, Boston.
Ther [Thermometer] Friday, May 25, 1917 Wea [Weather]
40 [degrees] min [minimum] 52 [degrees] max. [maximum] Fair
Partly cloudy, mostly sunny with strong
cold northerly wind and occasional short
but brisk showers of big rain drops.
  Garden birds. 2 Robins [in full song], Usnea W. [Usnea Warbler] [in full song],
Ovenbird [in full song], Redstart (in pl. [female plumage]), Flicker,
2 Grackles (on lawn).
  Gilbert [Robert A. Gilbert] put me on 8.06 train at Concord
& met it at Arlington whence we motored
to Cambridge where I spent most of
forenoon with Percy looking over things in
Garden & planning to restore the badly
washed driveway and to plough up part
of lawn for potato planting. Went in 
town at noon & was at office for two
hours, lunching at Young's with Arthur E. [Arthur Estabrook]
Talked with Galloupe & Darling. Subscribed
for a $1000 liberty bond from E. & Co.
Returned to Concord by 2.40 Express.
Soon after reaching Farm had a call from
Mr. & Mrs. Robbins, Walter Faxon & Norton
who had been to Ball's Hill & seen the
extraordinary Muskrat (?) house there.
Timmy taken to Cambridge this morning.
The farm house seems desolate without him.