Monday, June 20, 2016

Walking under an apple tree in the little Baker Farm peach orchard,

June 20

Friday. A. M. —To Baker Farm with Ricketson.  A very hot day. 

Two Sternotherus odoratus by heap in Sanborn’s garden, one making a hole for its eggs, the rear of its shell partly covered. See a great many of these out to-day on ground and on willows. 

Swamp-pink out apparently two or three days at Clamshell Ditch. Late thalictrum apparently a day or two there. Archangelica apparently two or three days. 

A phoebe nest, second time, with four cream-white eggs. Got one. The second brood in the same nest.

Saw a snap-turtle out in sun on tussock opposite Bittern Cliff. Probably the water was too warm for him. 

They had at Middlesex House, yesterday, snuff flavored with ground or pulverized black birch bark. 

Walking under an apple tree in the little Baker Farm peach orchard, heard an incessant shrill musical twitter or peeping, as from young birds, over my head, and, looking up, saw a hole in an upright dead bough, some fifteen feet from ground. Climbed up and, finding that the shrill twitter came from it, guessed it to be the nest of a downy woodpecker, which proved to be the case, — for it reminded me of the hissing squeak or squeaking hiss of young pigeon woodpeckers, but this was more musical or bird-like.

The bough was about four and a half inches in diameter, and the hole perfectly circular, about an inch and a quarter in diameter. Apparently nests had been in holes above, now broken out, higher up. When I put my fingers in it, the young breathed their shrill twitter louder than ever. Anon the old appeared, and came quite near, while I stood in the tree, keeping up an incessant loud and shrill scolding note, and also after I descended; not to be relieved. 

Potentilla Norvegicea; apparently petals blown away.

Five young phoebes in a nest, apparently upon a swallow nest, in Conant’s old house, just ready to fly. 

Rudbeckia hirta budded.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, June 20, 1856

It reminded me of the hissing squeak or squeaking hiss of young pigeon woodpeckers, but this was more musical or bird-like. See A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Downy Woodpecker. See also June 10, 1856 (“In a hollow apple tree, hole eighteen inches deep, young pigeon woodpeckers, large and well feathered. They utter their squeaking hiss whenever I cover the hole with my hand, apparently taking it for the approach of the mother.") and also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Pigeon Woodpecker

Conant’s old house. . . See February 19, 1855 ("Conant was cutting up an old pear tree which had blown down by his old house on Conantum. This [was] set anciently with reference to a house which stood in the little peach orchard near by.")


June 20. See A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, June 20
A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau
"A book, each page written in its own season,
out-of-doors, in its own locality.”
~edited, assembled and rewritten by zphx © 2009-2021

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