1889
May 5
Concord, Mass.
Clear and the warmest day of the year thus far. Wind west
light in the early morning strong through the midday hours, dying
nearly to a dead calm at sunset.
  To Concord with Spelman by 9 A. M. train, returning
at 6.35 P. M. The day was very warm and delightful in
every way save one viz. there were few birds about and these
few mostly silent. The cause of this puzzles me. True there
was a good deal of wind at times, especially about noon,
but it was a soft wind and, moreover, it did not rise until
we were a mile or more on our way and previous to this
there were few birds singing. At the Manse I heard
nothing but a single Pewee and a Nuthatch, the latter merely
hanking. On the way down river to "the tent" - where the
wind first struck us - I heard [delete]nothing[/delete] but one bird, a
Song Sparrow. We saw a few Red-wings and further down a 
a great many, all in small flocks in bushes or very near the ground.
Several Spotted Sandpipers started from the bank as
we sped past under sail and we saw one or two.
Kingfishers.
[margin]Mysterious
silence and
scarcity of
birds[/margin]
[margin]Sayornis[/margin]
[margin]Tringoides[/margin]
  We had a glorious sail to Carlisle Bridge and nearly
two miles beyond over ground new to me. A little
below the bridge the river widens until its breadth
nearly equals that of Fairhaven Bay. The north bank
is high and heavily wooded for two miles or more.
  On the way down we saw a Buteo borealis and
a B. lineatus nearly opposite the Hawk Woods. The
Red-shoulder was sailing about low over the meadow
when the Red-tail appeared and began to soar near
him. He immediately attacked his large cousin rising
above and swooping down upon him screaming shrilly
& incessantly. The Red-tail took these attacks very
[margin]Buteo lineatus
attacking
B. borealis[/margin]