1888
Oct. 30
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Cloudless & cool with N. W. wind blowing nearly a gale at
times. A radiant October day with bracing air as pure
and transparent as possible.
  To Ipswich with Chadbourne by 7.30 A. M. train.
Took a boat at Stowe's and started down river with
a strong ebb tide in our favor but the wind more
or less ahead & an ugly chop sea running in the
tide rips. Landed first on a marshy island opposite
the neck & beat the sedge for Ammodrami. Flushed only
one which I shot - a typical caudacutus.
[margin]A. caudacutus[/margin]
  Landed next at the sand hills. A flock of Horned
Larks swept [delete]passed[/delete] past and I dropped one. Spent an
hour or two beating the beach grass for Sparrows. I
shot in succession a Savanna, two Ipswich, and one
Tree Sparrow making, with the Sharp-tail & Lark, six
birds killed flying in six shots &this with the wind
blowing nearly a gale. We saw several Savannas but
only the two Ipswich Sparrows.
  Lunched in a sheltered, sunny nook on one of the
highest points of the sand-hills where they merge into
the great pasture hill. Looking off over the channel
to Plum Island and beyond the view was unusually
fine with white-capped waves rolling and heaving as
far as the eye could reach and the sand hills of
the Island gleaming in the sunlight nearly as white
as snow. In mid channel a large sand spit was
crowded with Herring Gulls, over 100 birds at the
very least. There were many Ducks, also, mostly
Old Squaws I think. Three or four miles out to sea
I saw an immense flock of birds which I took
to be young Scoters. They swept along close over