98
Lake Umbagog.
Megalloway River.
1897
May 31
(No 3)          
a Kinglet (satrapa), two Brown Creepers, and no less than
three Solitary Vireos as well as a Hermit Thrush. All of
these have evidently arrived in numbers since last year
(excepting, perhaps the Hermits) but Winter Wrens have not
arrived. I did not hear one this afternoon.
[margin]Brown Creeper[/margin]
[margin]Winter Wrens
scarce[/margin]
  Holding an inquest over the floating carcass of a yearling
buck, which Jim thought had tried to cross the river on
the floating logs of the large drive that passed down two
or three weeks ago, were three Canada Jays, all old birds.
They hung about the Deer for several minutes, inspecting
it closely from some overhanging alders, then walked
off along the river bank taking short flights and
hopping along over the floating logs & driftwood, keeping perfect
silence.
[margin]Canada
Jays about
the carcass
of a Deer[/margin]
  Early this morning I heard a Bittern pump a dozen or
more times in the direction of Curtis Meadow which, however,
is nearly a mile off with dense forest intervening. 
[margin]Bittern
pumping[/margin]
  Watrous found a Whistler's nest this morning in a short
maple stub where in bushes open a nest containing eggs 
last year (I have photographs of the stub taken last spring).
It had eleven eggs none of which were covered. This nest
is within 30 yards of the one in the tall stub about
which the four Whistlers were circling yesterday. I thought
then that one bird which separated from the nest and 
swept low down through the stubs might have gone to this nest.
[margin]Nest of
Whistler[/margin]
  It was cold and very windy this evening and there was
almost no singing from the smaller birds. The Hylas, however,
peeped more freely & vigorously than for a week or more past.
[margin]Cold evening[/margin]