Concord, Mass.
(The Farm)
1900.
April 27
  Early morning clear; remainder of the day cloudy with
strong, harsh N.W. wind. Ther. 35 degrees, 67 degrees, 40 degrees.
  Spent the forenoon and the latter part of the afternoon
at the farm. The high, raw wind silenced the birds and drove 
them to the densest covers so that I saw & heard but
few and those of the commonest kinds. Driving to
Concord at noon and on the return drive in the 
afternoon I saw only a few Robins and an immense
flock of Red-winged Blackbirds (at least 100) apparently
all males. They were in the top of a white oak & all
singing at once making a prodigious noise. At the
Keyes' I saw a female Sharp-shinned Hawk fly from
one of the large spruces bearing what looked like a
small bird in its talons.
Large flock of
Red-wings.
Sharp shin Hawk.
  Miss Marion Keyes tells me that a Red-bellied Nuthatch
has been one of the most constant as well as the very
tamest of the birds which have visited her suet this
past winter & spring. It flew into one of the chambers
through an open window the other day & she caught
it in her hand with but slight difficulty.
Canada Nuthatch
eating suet.
  Noted the spring flight call of the cow-bird as
pleee-se-te-de a long-drawn somewhat ready
& rather musical whistle. 
Spring flight-call
of cow-bird.
  Repeatedly of late I have heard a male Bluebird warbling
to its mate in tones exquisitely soft & tender & so low
as to be audible only a few yards away. Among the ordinary
notes it interpolated a fine, wiry whining sound not unlike
the preliminary notes of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet's song.
Bluebird's
love notes
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