Concord, Mass.
1911.
May 26
[May 26, 1911]

  Cloudy with cool east wind.

Blackburnian Warbler building.

  About 8 A.M. I was surprised to find a female
Blackburnian Warbler hopping about in open cultivated
land where we have had our vegetable garden for the past
four years. It is directly in front of the old barn at the
Farm. The ground was ploughed, manured & harrowed a few
weeks ago. Much of the manure remains uncovered and
the Warbler seemed especially interested  in some of the
larger fragments which she inspected closely, one after another.
From several of them she drew, after long & energetic tugging, 
what I think must have been either cow or horse hairs
but which were too fine for me to see although I was within a
few yards & used my glass. I could see, however, that she had
a small bunch of some fibrous looking substance in her bill
when at length she flew away from the top of the open
knoll towards the woods to the eastward. On reaching
them she rose above the tops of the tallest pines dropping
out of view behind them apparently very near Pulpit Rock
where I heard a male singing a little later. I watched
her flight for a total distance of more than 200 yards.