Cambridge, Mass.
1903.
July 22
  Cloudy and cool with light E. wind. Heavy thunder shower
at 8 A.m.
  The Robin roost in our lilacs is resorted to every night
now by over 500 birds. We see them come in nearly every evening
while we are at tea on the back piazza. Last summer
our occasional presence there (we usually took our meals at
a neighbor's then) disturbed them more or less and at times
created a momentary panic among them but they have now
become so accustomed to it that they never show decided
alarm and seldom pay any attention to us even when
we have a number of guests talking & laughing loudly or moving
from place to place inside the mosquito netting which 
screens the front of the piazza. The birds now begin arriving
about 7 P.M. and the flight is at its height from 7.25
to 7.35 ceasing about 7.45.
  I was awake at 3.45 this morning & hearing the Robins
calling went into the bath room and took a seat by the 
window to watch them leave the roost. Although it was
so dark (& foggy, also) that I could scarce distinguish
the sky from the tree tops the birds were already leaving
as I could tell by the noise of their wings as well as
by that of their voices. Many of them merely flew to the
nearest tall trees and began singing there making, for a
time, an almost deafening clamor (they have nearly
ceased singing at evening). The exodus was at its
height about 4 o'clock and had not wholly ended
at 4.25 although a very few birds lingered in the
lilacs for ten or fifteen minutes later. Thus the 
morning flight actually lasted longer than the
evening one usually does. On one occasion when I