Concord, Mass.
Ball's Hill
1900                                                                                                                                    
April 18      
  Cloudy with strong S.W. wind and showers at
morning and evening.
  The strong wind silenced the birds and drove them 
to cover in all the more exposed places but among the
pines and about the sheltered springs on the north
side of the hill where I spent most of the forenoon
and the whole afternoon there were a number of Robins,
several Chickadees, a Canada Nuthatch, a Brown Creeper,
a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Pine Warbler, two or three
Blue Jays, several Song Sparrows, and a few Red-winged
Blackbirds. The Kinglet flitted close about me and
sang exquisitely very many times. During the whole
forenoon a Partridge drummed at short, regular intervals
on the stone wall among the alders near the big red
maple. The Blue Jays were very noisy and imitated
the screaming of the Red-shouldered Hawk frequently.
At one time I heard the jingling medley of Rusty Blackbirds
in the willows on the neighboring meadow. Judging by the
sound there must have been a number of them.
Crows were passing to & fro every little while & once
I saw four flying together.
Effect of wind
on birds.
Partridge
Blue Jays.
Rusty Grackles.
  At the cabin the wind blew hard all day but it
did not prevent the Chickadees & at least one Downy
from visiting the suet frequently. A Phoebe also paid
us a brief visit & sang a few snatches of its welcome song.
Phoebe visits
the cabin.  
  Just as we were finishing dinner we heard the
soul-stirring clamor of Wild Geese & rushing out were
just in time to see a fine flock passing rather low
& very swiftly over Ball's Hill heading N.E.; Gilbert made
their number 45, I 50. Neither of us got a very close count.
Wild Geese
31        