1890
May 15
Concord, Mass.
Black & white Creepers, Maryland Yellow-throats etc.
A Meadow Lark also came from a distance
and alighting on the top of an oak in the
woods sang divinely for several minutes. Then
the rain came down again. 
  After eating lunch we decided to return to
town. Saw and heard many birds on the
way but nothing of particular interest. We heard
only one Rail (a Carolina) all day and, very
unaccountably, no Bitterns although we flushed
one of the latter from the shore at Ball's Hill.
There were few Swallows on the meadows
considering the, for them, propitious conditions
Certainly we did not see more than thirty
the majority White-bellies & Barns with a few
[Eaves?] and Banks. No Martins seen or heard.
Late in the afternoon as we were walking
up Monument Street in the rain we heard
a Wood Thrush in full song in some white
pines in front of Mr Lang's house.
  Vegetation is in a curious condition now,
all the trees, both early and late, seem to be
at precisely the same stage the leaves on
the oaks, chestnuts, walnuts and ash trees being
nearly or quite as far advanced as those of the
birches, willows and poplars. The woods are now
very beautiful in coloring showing the greatest
variety of tints, light tender greens and salmon pinks
predominating. The grass on the meadows is
already nearly or quite a foot tall.