Concord, Mass.
1908
March 15.
  Forenoon partly cloudy, partly sunny. Raining most of afternoon
with a thunder shower at six o'clock. Very warm with strong S.W. wind.
  I came to Concord last evening to spend a couple 
of days at the old farm house. Found the snow practically
all gone, the river open everywhere but with some large fields
of soggy ice drifting about over the flooded meadows, the
roads dry in a few places but for the most part deep with
sticky mud from the loosening frost.
  At day break this morning Song Sparrows were singing
all about the house. I heard Crows cawing, Bluebirds, Robins
& a Nuthatch calling, a Chickadee giving the Phoebe notes.
About sunrise a Hairy Woodpecker called in an elm near my
window. Just after breakfast a Robin sang in full loud
tones for half a minute or so. Bluebirds heard at intervals
but none singing although the morning was then mild, sunny
& nearly windless.
  I spent the entire forenoon out of doors, taking
a walk to Ball's Hill with "Larry." There were patches
of ice in the woods but almost no snow anywhere.
The river was over the meadows, yet remarkably low for
this season. It has not been over the river path at the
hill as yet. Heard a Herring Gull calling near Ball's Hill.
  The country was alive with birds chiefly Robins, Song
Sparrows, Red-wings, & Rusty Blackbirds. All these arrived
in numbers at Lexington on the 12th Faxon tells me. He
reports Bluebirds numerous there but I noted only a few here to-day.
  I saw a silent Phoebe perched in an alder on the edge of
the little meadow at W. end of Ball's Hill. Started a Partridge near
Barrett Spring. Red-shouldered Hawks screaming whole forenoon. Saw
three at once, two over Barrett woods one over Holden's Hill.