98
Concord, Mass.
1898.
May 18
(No 5)
  At 3.30 P.M. we took the old boat and
started up river. Several Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers
were seen at Dakins' Hill and as we entered the
Holt we heard Greater Yellow-legs whistling. We
soon discovered them scattered about on the
meadow on the east side of the river and
running the boat in shore watched them for
half-an-hour or more. There were just fifteen of
them on this meadow while a solitary bird 
was feeding on the other side of the stream.
As we were within fifty or sixty yards of
the main flock we had a fine chance to
observe them. One or two birds, apparently acting
as sentinels stood erect & still on the tops
of the tussocks while the others rambled about
through the short grass probing the area for food.
When one of the sentinels whistled all the
other birds raised their heads & stood motionless
until the alarm subsided. When we finally
showed ourselves the flock rose & flew off over
Dakin's Hill but they returned & pitched down
into the meadow again a few minutes later. 
All the time we were here the Bobolinks were
making the meadow ring with their music &
a Bittern was pumping in the distance.
  Two Least Sandpipers were feeding with the
Yellow-legs and on a mud bar just above the 
Holt we found a flock of five small waders which
at least three birds were Ereunetes pusillus.