Concord, Mass.
1896
October 31
(No 2)
  We landed at Ball's Hill and spent the remainder of the
forenoon sitting on the ground under the pines on the knoll
just west of the Glacial Hollow. Here we saw no less than nine
different species of birds:- Pine Siskins, Goldfinches & Crows flying
overhead, Chickadees (six or eight), Brown Creepers (two) Canada Nuthatches
(two females & one male), a Golden Crested Kinglet, a Partridge &
several Blue Jays among the pines. There were also several Juncos
not far off.
  After dining at the cabin we walked to the Mason woods
seeing on the way no less than three distinct flocks of Chickadees,
the first being the same birds which we were watching this
morning and which still had the Nuthatches, Creepers etc in their
train. The second flock - on Davis's Hill - contained about seven
or eight Chickadees, a Brown Creeper, two Red-bellied and one
White-bellied Nuthatch and six or seven Juncos. All three birds
excepting the Creeper were feeding on the ground among the
freshly-fallen leaves. The third flock was in the pines on
the Prescott piece and contained five Chickadees unaccompanied
by any other species.
  We had walked out over the old cart path to Birch Island
and were standing by the boat landing there looking for
Grebes when suddenly the emphatic chip, chee-dee, dee of a
Hudson's Bay Titmouse rang out on the still air directly behind
us & was immediately repeated. Turning & looking upward we
saw the bird swaying on the topmost twig of a Birch within
twenty yards or less. It was quite alone and, indeed, there
were no other birds of any kind at the time on this small
and scantily-worked meadow island. Probably it had only
just come across the meadows & had alighted merely to rest