Concord, Mass.
1896
April 16
(No 2)
[April 16, 1896]

over us when with a few musical honks (probably notes of
command from the leader) they changed their course and
recrossing the river just below the Hill quickly passed beyond
our sight to the eastward. Faxon [Walter Faxon] thought they saw the 
ocean and were making for it. There was something peculiarly
impressive in the silent, majestic advance of these great birds
when we first caught sight of them.

Flicker sings on wing

  As we were eating breakfast a Flicker began shouting on the
hill and then breaking off suddenly uttered the shouting notes
by twos with intervals between each pair. By the change of
direction in the sound we knew that he was flying and
rushing to the door saw him cross the river & meadow to
an oak on the Bedford shore keeping up the interrupted shout
during the entire flight. Neither Faxon nor I have ever heard
a Flicker shout on wing before.

Flight song of the Pine Warbler

  Soon afterwards while at Davis's Hill we made a similarly
novel observation on the Pine Warbler which for the first time 
we heard utter what seemed to be a real flight song made
up of the usual trill with a number of low twits
and warbling notes preceeding [preceding] the trill! There were three
birds (probably two males chasing a female) darting and
twisting about among the upper branches of a pine.

An early Green Heron

  Near the north End of Davis's Hill we came suddenly on
a Green Heron! He was perched on the branch of an oak
over the river and we looked at him for several
minutes through our glasses at a distance of not over 30
yards making absolutely sure of the identification. If I am
not mistaken I have never before seen a Green Heron in Mass. [Massachusetts]