Concord, Mass.
1911.
April 24
[April 24, 1911]

Backward season.

  The weather has been cold through the entire month
thus far & especially so of late. The temperature falls to 25 [degrees] or
26 [degrees] nearly every night & the ground is hard frozen almost every
morning. This morning the boat canal at Ball's hill was frozen 
over up to 9 A.M. when Pat had broken a channel
through it in crossing. Vegetation is three or four weeks late
according to the farmers & gardeners. Red maples & elms were
in full blossom to-day for the first time. Most of the grass
lands are as brown and [?] as in early March but a tinge of
green has appeared within the past few days on southern 
slopes, in our door yard & in a few spots on the river
meadows.
  Spring birds have been coming late & dribbling in, a few
at a time. There has been no real "rush" of any of them as
yet. Fox Sparrows & Juncos still linger. Blue Jays are 
exceedingly scarce. Ruffed Grouse are very numerous, especially
at the Farm.

Fish Hawk

  A Fish Hawk is frequenting the river opposite Ball's Hill.
I see him there almost daily circling & hovering. This
morning he caught a large fish and bore it off over me
towards the S.W. [Southwest]. I could see that it had red pectoral
fins. It looked like a Perch.

Bitterns

  Bitterns have been here for some time but they
have not begun pumping yet. One haunts the brushy edge
of the river on the Ball's hill shore. As I walked
along the path this morning he kept flitting on ahead of
me just as Sparrows & Water Thrushes do, making very
short flights. I drove him there from Birch Gate to beyond
the cabins where he sought a final refuge on one island
remaining there a long time stalking about among the
maples & standing erect looking exactly like a stub (not a stake)