12
Concord, Mass.
1898
March 16
  Early morning clear but clouds gathered soon after
7 A.M. and the remainder of the day was gray
and cheerless with a chilly S.W. wind and a brief
shower of hail in the afternoon.
  To Ball's Hill for the day, sailing across the meadows
both ways. The only water birds seen were a Golden eye
and a flock of seven Herring Gulls, all flying high.
Small birds were numerous everywhere. At sunrise
Song Sparrows, Bluebirds, Red-Wings, Meadow Larks,
Juncos, Tree Sparrows and one Robin were singing
near the house making a full chorus of early spring
bird voices. There was, also, a Blue Jay screaming
in the pines and crows were cawing in the distance.
  Near Ball's Hill I saw large numbers of Song Sparrows,
a good many Tree Sparrows, one Junco, three or four
Chickadees, five Golden-crests and a few crows. 
  If the Fox Sparrows are here I failed to find
them. Spelman saw one at Arlington on the
13th & heard another in Cambridge on the 14th.
  Two Downy Woodpeckers have hung about the
cabin all winter feeding on meat bones with
which Pat has kept them supplied and I saw
the [male] there both yesterday and to-day but the
Chickadees were all back in the woods.
  Either a Hawk or Owl has killed and eaten a Partridge
lately in some dense young pines on the edge of Bensen's
ridge. The ground beneath these trees is simply covered
with the poor bird's feathers, among them many tail
feathers. Pat, who has been working near the spot,
says the feathers were not there three days ago.