Concord, Mass.
Ball's Hill
1900.
August 6
  Clear and oppressively hot with light S.W. wind. A
slight shower at evening.
  Spent the entire day at the cabin where
I saw few birds and none of any especial interest.
At evening walked to the Barrett meadow. Bobolinks
Red-wings and Swallows were passing about continuously
on their way to roost. I counted seventy Bobolinks
in a few minutes and thirty Barn Swallows in one
flock.
Evening walk
  The only birds heard singing today were a Long-billed
and a Short-billed Marsh Wren, two Black & White Creepers,
a Maryland Yellow-throat (flight song once at evening), a
Red-eyed Vireo, a Song Sparrow, a Swamp Sparrow, 
a Flicker "(shouted once at evening) and a Quail (heard
at infrequent intervals in the forenoon.
Birds singing
  During my evening walk I saw two Bitterns flying
across the meadow one following closely in the wake
of the other. One or both called ock-ock-ock at
frequent intervals.
Bitterns
  The ditch which we dug last autumn across 
the meadow opposite the cabin is a favorite resort
for many interesting creatures. It is alive with frogs
& fish & these attract Bitterns, Green Herons, and numerous
Snakes chiefly Water Snakes & Milk Adders which
lie at length or loosely coiled on the banks &
allow us to brush past there within a foot or two.
But I find that if we stop the boat to look at
them more closely they usually glide or roll off the
bank into the water & at once dive beneath the surface.
Sandpipers also frequent the muddy places along this ditch.
Boat canal
dug in
1899.
Water Snakes.
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