Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1875
April 2 [April 2, 1875] been but too busily at work and the
entire maple grove which surrounds
the pines was levelled to the earth
and arranged in melancholy (to me)
piles of cord wood. My disgust was
however in some degree mollified by
the discovery that it had become an
even more congenial haunt of the blackbirds 
than of yore. All three species were 
there feeding busily among the brush 
piles and I levied my contribution
on the rusties [rusty blackbird], to the extent of three
specimens (2 [males 1 [female]). On the way back
I saw a Ceryle alcyon on alewife brook
and fired a flying shot a him without
success. I forgot to mention that I
saw a pair of Hirundo bicolor
about my boxes this morning.
Never in all my experience have I
known the birds arrive so suddenly
and in such numbers as this spring.
The fields are indeed now nearly bare but 
the snow lies deep everywhere in 
the woods and the meadows are
still covered with thick, albeit 
rotten snow-ice. Robins began to appear
about the gardens yesterday and to day
more abundant. At twilight this eventing
they were singing all about our house, and
I recognized in one with a rather wheezy
voice an old acquaintance that has visited our
place a number of summers. A song sparrow
also which has bred in Mr. Choates' yard for the five
past summers & which I know at once by [?] a 
peculiarity of song, appeared among the first & now
sings regularly in their evergreens.