Lake Umbagog.
1909.
June 5 [June 5, 1909]
  South-east rain storm beginning about 9 A.M. continuing through
the day and into the night. Wind blew strong in forenoon.
  As Gilbert and I were standing on the deck of the house boat
about noon to-day a Green Heron flew past within 30 yards and
alighted in the top of a tall dead tree within 50 yards. After perching
there a minute or two it flew across the cove and alighted on
a floating log near the mouth of Stony Brook. Here it remained
less than a minute. When it took wing the second time it
appeared to have been stalked by something for it uttered first a
cackling ca-ca-ca-ca-ca and then its characteristic scow, scow,
as it disappeared among the trees in the direction of Peaslee's house.
I had a fine view of it as it passed the boat and saw distinctly
its blue-green back and chestnut head and neck. I have only one
previous record for Umbagog, that of a bird shot many years
ago in Sargeant Cove in New Hampshire. The one seen to-day was
near the Abbott Mill & Lake House in Upton, Maine.
Second
Umbagog
record for
Green Heron
  At least 4 or 5 pairs of Bronzed Grackles are breeding in the
group of balsam firs standing on the island by my boat house.
I watched them for an hour or more to-day as they came and
went across the water between the island and the mainland, bringing
food in their bills for their young and taking away from the nest
the white excreta of the young which they dropped in the lake as soon
as they were well outside the outer ranks of alders. The young in
one of the nests must have been well grown to judge by the loud
clamor they set up whenever their parents appeared. I saw one
female Grackle carrying nesting material into their firs but all
the others appeared to have young. Yet is is only 22 days since
the Lake was encased with ice (it went out on May 14) and
much of the country about it buried deep in snow. The Grackles
appear to get most of their food in the farms on Upton Hill.
Early nesting
of Bronzed
Grackles