Concord, Mass.
1909.
July 19 [July 19, 1909]
 At evening I hear the hoarse quack of Night Herons or see them
high in air over Ball's Hill. This afternoon a Black Duck
passed me, flying down river and this morning I saw a brown
Marsh Hawk, apparently a young male. Kingbirds are unusually
numerous along the river, perching on dead branches low over the
water. A Kingfisher flys [flies] back & forth past the cabin, rattling
noisily. I see a Musk Rat or two at evening & one or two large
Snapping Turtles daily. Bobolinks are not numerous but I hear
their chink, chink once or twice at morning & evening. On the evening
of the 17th a Marsh Wren was singing just below the Lagoon. About
a week before this I heard two there & also two Short bills.
As I was paddling up river and nearing the landing at Ball's Hill
on the evening of the 17th a Woodcock skimmed low over me crossing
the river and apparently dropping into the marsh on the Bedford
side. That same evening a Whippoorwill sang a few notes near the
stone boat house.
  Most of the Swallows frequenting the marshes just now are
Barn Swallows. On the night of the 17th, when it was nearly
dark, a swarm of them were dashing to & fro about the bank
just below Ball's Hill where I saw them go to roost in 1886 or 1887.
No doubt they are still roosting there in the same cluster of
black willows for I saw several of them attempt to alight in those
trees on this last occasion (July 17, 1909) although they did not
actually settle down on their perches but kept on after fluttering
for a moment among the leaves. They fly about, now high now
low & very rapidly, in a compact flock making a loud &
excited twittering, for some time, passing back & forth near Ball's
Hill. This I note every evening & have done so before for years
past but never since 1886 & 1887 have I actually seen
them go to roost.