1887
May 17
Concord, Massachusetts.
A repitition of yesterday, cloudless, very warm with
just a breath of East Wind.
  After breakfast took a turn over Ripley's Hill to 
the maple swamp beyond. The woods on the crest and 
east side of hill alive with birds but nothing more
interesting among them there a Pine Warbler, two Black polls,
two Thrashers, a Parula, and others equally common.
Returned to the house in less thank an hour without having
fired a shot.
  Down river in the canoe at about 9:30 taking
lunch and spending the day.
  Two solitary sandpipers at the first breed and many
more scattered along through the meadow, all on the 
banks of the river, however, at the next bend below
"Hunt's Pond" found six Least Sandpipers feeding in 
company with a Solitary on a mud flat among rather
dense button bushes with willows and maples over hanging
the spot. They rose with ease among them bushes when
startled. They were very tame and I killed them all 
besides five Solitary Sandpipers.
  After lunching made the weeping white maples where I 
used to see the Wood Ducks last year I continued on to 
Ball's Hill stopping in the great pond for an hour or so
to try for Bank Swallows of which then with about thirty
scaling about. Fired three shots (pistol) and got one bird.
  At Ball's Hill three were as usual a great many birds.
A wood Pewere (the first) wailing among the oaks, a Pine 
Warbler trilling on the arise of the ridge, a single female
D. coronata on the hill side, and in the briary thickets
along the river numerous Song Sparrows, Towheres, Maryland
Yellow-Throats, Yellow Warblers etc. There were also a Water
Thrush and a single White-throated Sparrow besides