Lake Umbagog.
1896
May 18
[May 18, 1896]

  Cloudy with showers. High S.W. [Southwest] wind.

Red headed Woodpecker

  At 7 a.m. as we were sitting on the piazza a Red-headed
Woodpecker in fully adult plumage came flying over the meadow from
the direction of the Lake and alighted on a fence post nearly in front
of the house. He then flew from post to post and finally entered
a young apple orchard where he was at once attacked with great
fierceness by a Robin who quickly drove him off into the woods.

Ospreys catching suckers

  A pair of Ospreys haunt this end of the Lake and are frequently
in sight from the house. They are catching Suckers chiefly. Twice
yesterday one of them flew past the house within 200 yds. carrying
in its feet one of these large fish which seemed to be alive and
slowly waving its tail from side to side although this movement may
have been caused by the bird's flight.

Vegetation.
First apple blossoms.

  First apple blossoms out to-day. The vegetation under the influence
of the warm rain advanced rapidly and by evening the roadside thickets
of older, mountain maple, cornel etc. showed very green with the unfolding
leaves.

Woodcock

  In the forenoon I went out in the sailing canoe sailing to Upton &
paddling back. Watrous searched the covers on the Sargent farm again
putting up three or four Woodcock in a new place to which we
returned together in the afternoon making an exhaustive search
but finding nothing although we started several birds at least one of which
was a [female]. They acted as if they were not breeding at all. The cover was
"bored" & "chalked" from one end to the other.

Garter Snakes
Varying Hare

  Saw three Garter Snakes and a large Hare. The latter hopped to the top
of an old crumbling pine stump where he sat motionless for
several minutes, we standing within ten feet on either side. I longed