Concord, Mass.
1896
April 7
[April 7, 1896]

  A blustering & rather cold day with violent E. [East] wind and
great black cloud masses alternating with patches of blue sky
through which the sun shown for brief intervals.
  Before the wind rose birds sang freely. I heard the usual
Song Sparrows, Robins & Redwings [Red-winged Blackbird] at sunrise, through my open window,
and also Bronzed Grackles. A Downy Woodpecker comes regularly
every morning between 6 & 7 and for ten or fifteen minutes
on a small, dead prong in the elm in front of the house. Poor
fellow! his drum is of the feeblest for the stub is lacking in 
resonance. He has at least one other drumming place in this
orchard but the elm is his favourite. He seems to regard
weather but little although the drumming period is shortened
when the morning is very cold or stormy.
  I started for Ball's Hill at the usual time but was
detained at North Bridge for over an hour which I spent
watching a pair of Nuthatches. The [female] was busily engaged most
of this time in brining out some long, fibrous material (which
looked like fine shreds of inner bark) from a hole high up
(40 to 45 ft. [feet]) in the old elm which stands at the east end of the
bridge. This hole was apparently an old knot hole which had
been enlarged by Red Squirrels for its edges showed the marks
of their teeth. I think the Nuthatch was removing their
nest for the material looked like the bark shreds which
they use but I was puzzled by the fact that the Nuthatch
instead of dropping these shreds carried them in large
bills-full to the upper side of the branch where she spread
them out and tamped them down with some care. She
had evidently been at work for some time for when I
arrived the upper side of the branch was covered with