Concord, Mass.
1910.
Oct 1
[October 1, 1910]

  Partly cloudy, partly sunny. Very warm with S.W. [southwest] wind which blew
a living gale most of the day.

Connecticut Warbler on Ball's Hill
Its call or alarm note

  About 7 A.M. before the wind rose I was strolling through the
opening behind Ball's Hill when I heard a sharp, metallic, finch-like
note, not unlike that used occasionally by Dendroica maculosa but
much louder and stronger. This I recognized at once as the characteristic
alarm note of the Connecticut Warbler. Steadily increasing in
emphasis and frequency of utterance it was repeated scores of times
at short intervals. Presently I saw the bird flitting about in a
thicket of young black spruces on the western slope of the hill only a
little below the crest. When I got within 20 yards or so it flew to
another cluster of spruces. For several minutes more it continued chirping
and acted as if it was much excited although I could see nothing
to alarm it. Evidently I was not the distracting cause for I was 100 yds off,
at the back of the hill, when I first heard it. At length it quieted down
and began rambling about over the ground walking with a smooth,
gliding motion much like that of an Oven bird. I now got within
ten yards & had an excellent view of it. It was either a [female] or a juv. [juvenile] [male],
having a plain buffy throat. Its call note was invariably the same
and closely similar to that of the Mourning Warbler. I know no other
Warbler which makes such a sound except, as I have said, D. maculosa [Dendroica maculosa]