1893
April 2
(no 4)
Concord, Mass.
  As we were skirting the flooded thickets on the
Bedford shore of the meadow a Rusty Blackbird started
from the bushes and alighted in a maple. The next
instant a perfect cloud of these birds followed and
crowded the branches of the tree as with black fruit.
As nearly as we could count there were about sixty,
all Rusties. The wind was blowing directly on the shore
and the waves dashing in among the bushes. We saw
single Rusties in several other places. 
[margin]Rusty
Blackbirds[/margin]
  Crows appear to be quite as numerous here as usual
despite the hard winter and the reports of serious 
mortality among the hordes which winter in the
Middle States. I have seen no migrants passing north
these past three days.
[margin]Crows[/margin]
  We saw two fine white male Marsh Hawks and one 
female coursing about the fields and meadows. At
about sunset as one of the males was passing Ball's Hill
well over towards the Bedford shore I began squawking. 
The bird turned instantly and with the usual long,
steady wing beats came directly towards me. I could
see him only dimly through the bushes until he 
came to the line of alders in front of the cabin
when he rose above them and discovering me swerved
upwards and then turned back, twisting and
doubling like a Snipe as he darted off in evident
great alarm. He was within 20 yards of me where
he made the turn and I distinctly saw his eyes
and facial disc. I observed to-day that this species
while scaling holds the wings at an upward angle like the
Turkey Buzzard. [diagram]
[margin]Marsh Hawks[/margin]