Concord, Mass.
1901.
Oct. 4
  Brilliantly clear with N.W. wind. Cool - almost frosty -
at morning & evening but warm through the middle of the day.
  When I arose this morning a Pied-billed Greebe was
swimming near the middle of the river opposite the cabin.
Through the rose-tinted mist that was curling up from
the calm water it looked as large as a Black Duck. I
launched a canoe and started out when the bird at
once sunk until only the top of its head was visable
and then disappeared altogether coming up for a moment
at the edge of the reeds.
  I spent most of the day in Pine Park. Small birds
were less numerous there than yesterday. I saw a Palm
Warbler which I could not fully identify but which I
think was the palmarum, a Junco, several White-throats,
a few Black-polls & Yellow-rumps, a Cat Bird & a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet. There was a Hairy Woodpecker
on the hillside behind the cabin just after breakfast.
Jays were screaming in the woods all day long.
At about 5 P.M. a flock of 8 Black Ducks passed over
high in air towards the S.W. I took them to be
migrating birds.
  A little before sunset I paddled up river to
Beaver Dam Lagoon to investigate the Blackbird roost.
A good many rusty blackbirds had already arrived
and others, as well as Cow birds, were coming almost
continuously from every direction (but chiefly from
the W.) in small flocks or singly. Both species
are roosting together in the button bushes & low,
dense willows near the head of the lagoon. Into
these they pitched headlong disappearing at once
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