21
Concord, Mass.
1898
March 18
(No 6)
and I passed one large flock of Red-wings perched
in the upper branches of an oak and all singing
at once making a deafening but nevertheless wildly
musical clamor.
  As I was approaching the Minute Man I
saw a bird fly under the bridge and alight
on one of the rafters. It proved to be a Phoebe
which broke out into full song a few minutes
after I had passed the place.
  A Robin was singing steadily in
the big elm near my landing just below
the red bridge and I heard him at intervals
for half-an-hour later from my open
window.
  Where are the Rusty Blackbirds? I have
not seen nor heard one as yet.
  At Ball's Hill early this afternoon I
saw a Herring Gull (one of two that came
from down river) hover at a height of about
twenty feet and closing its wings descend
headlong like a Tern striking the water with
great force and disappearing beneath the
surface for at least three seconds. When it
came up it floated on the water for a few
minutes before taking wing again. I could
not see that it had anything in its bill.
[margin]Herring Gull
dives like
a Tern[/margin]