Concord, Mass.
1896
April 2
[April 2, 1896]

  It rained heavily during the latter half of last night
and steadily during most of to-day; a warm rain
& S.E. [Southeast]wind through the forenoon but cold with flurries
of hail & snow & a N. [North] wind in the afternoon.
  After breakfast we started out in the canoes crossing
first to the Bedford shore where, near the station, we
found a large flock of Tree Sparrows & a number of Song
Sparrows & Red-winged Blackbirds in an orchard flying
about & singing.
  We next paddled down river and into Bedford swamp.
In the flooded meadow near the grove of pines we saw
a pair of Black Ducks and in an oak on the edge of
the pines a Red-tailed Hawk. The latter flew off in
silence when we landed. We looked a little for a possible
nest but it soon began raining so hard that we reembarked
and returned to the cabin.
  In the afternoon we walked to the Mason field and
back by way of the Davis swamp ridge seeing nothing
but the Partridges and a Chickadee or two. The afternoon
was gloomy and depressing enough & the woods seemed
forlorn & deserted of animal life yet at least one Grey Squirrel
was out for we found his fresh track in the newly-fallen
snow.
  The only Ducks (besides the two Black Ducks) seen to-day
were a pair of Golden-eyes [Goldeneye] and three Gooseanders all
on the flooded meadows below Davis's Hill.