1902.
May 12
(No 3)
mentioned but after the first repetition it ceased to
remind us of the winnowing of wings (it was no doubt
softened by distance & intervening trees the first time)
for it possessed an unmistakeable nasal & rather
vibrant quality & seemed to be of vocal origins.
Nichols thought it resembled the grating sound
of a Squirrels teeth on the shell of a hickory nut
but to me it suggested rather the ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
ha-ha of a White-bellied Nuthatch. There was, I think
at least seven syllables and they were given very
rapidly and all on the same key. It is many years
since I have seen a Marsh Hawk dive & chatter
before but as I recall the previous experiences the
birds have plunged much more nearly vertically &
many times over the same spot. This
bird simply kept straight on, as I have said.
His manner of flight reminded us all strongly
of that of a Night hawk.
  The young men saw two Great Blue Herons flying 
over high towards the N.E. early this morning.
Nichols shouted at them whence they turned back
& circled. He says they will nearly always do this
when shouted at.
  Nichols and Bowditch also found two Chickadees
nests this morning, both in low stumps, the holes
descending nearly straight from the top. One was
about 100 yards east of the cabin, the other as far
to the westward, both being close to the river on the
edge of the path. One contained five eggs the other either
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