Point Lepreaux, N.B. [Point Lepreau, New Brunswick]
1876
April 18 [April 18, 1876] thick clumps or clusters. Loons, long
neck & feet stretched out behind, flapping
of wings quite rapid and course always
direct. Eider ducks prominent colors
& flight heavy, always near the water,
flapping slower than the coots but
not so slow as the brants. Sheldrake,
flight, nearly always at the height of about
20 yds, above the water, very swift with
exceedingly rapid beating of the wings.
Whistler flight highest of any of the
fowl here with very rapid wing
beats and prominently large head.
Cormorant flight exactly like
a loon at most times but neck
thicker and colors different. Sometimes
they sail however in a half circle
or mount straight up, with half
a dozen quick bats of the wing
like a night hawk when rising
in the air to "boom" Frequently one
will start up in this way from
a flock passing overhead. Their
alledged [alleged] resemblance to brant when
flying is only true in so far as
relates to the order of the flock: the
wing beats are much quicker &
the shape of the bird different.
the Uria grylle always skims along
close to the water inclines to the right 
or left every few yards & lights exactly
like a coot. The old squaw's flight
has been before mentioned before. They 
invariably skim along the very surface
of the water & their flight reminds me
somewhat of petrels, T. [Thomas] has a [male] D. virens [Dendroica virens] skin