1892
Feb. 2
Concord, Massachusetts.
[margin]Ball's Hill.[/margin]
Mass. 
Concord. Cloudy & warm.  Snow storm in the late P.M.          
  To Ball's Hill at 10 a.m. driving down with
George and, for the first time since my illness, taking
lunch and spending the day.
  The morning was delightfully soft and warm without
a breath of wind, the sun peeping through a thin
curtain of clouds at intervals. The roads were muddy
and the snow melted rapidly on the northern slopes.
  On reaching Holden's I got out of the buggy and
cut across the intervening fields and wood lots directly
for Ball's Hill. The first bird I saw was a fine
old Red-tailed Hawk soaring over the woods on                                                   
Holden's hill. Soon after entering their woods I heard
a Chickadee giving the [?flock] notes at regular intervals.                                    
On reaching Ball's Hill I found a large flock (I counted
43 birds & certainly missed some) [?] of Tree Sparrows in                                
the bushes on the edge of Benson's cranberry meadow.                                  
There was a Downy Woodpecker with them. One of                                         
the Tree Sparrows was in nearly, if not quite, full
song when I first came within hearing and afterwards
when I was following the flock either the same
or other male  sang a dozen times or more making
the woods ring with the wild, sweet strain.
When I first approached the edge of this meadow a                                        
Partridge ran from the wood edge on the opposite                                         
side flying back into my maple swamp. Just after                                           
it left the ground it began calling, keeping it
up until it was out of sight beyond the crest
of the ridge. I noted the sound on the spot thus:
Kr-r-r-uck, kr-r-r-uck, kuk, kuk; this
repeated. The bird flew rather slowly but made 
[margin]Buteo borealis[/margin]
[margin] Chickadees[/margin]
[margin]Large flock
of Tree Sparrows
One sings.[/margin]
[margin]Partridge
chicks during
flight[/margin]