Walk in Estabrook Woods.
1891.
Nov. 29
Concord, Massachusetts.
Concord. (Sunday). - Cloudy and cold with high N. wind, a
cheerless, gray day. Thm. 14 [degrees] at sunrise, 20 [degrees] at sunset.
  In the forenoon took a long walk in the woods
with George Buttrick, starting about 9 o'clock and getting 
back at 1.30. We struck across the fields to
the Damsdale thence by a wood road new to me
to Hubbard's Run, then out to the Estabrook road
and on as far as the Carlisle boundary stone,
returning by way of the road the entire distance.
  For the first two miles or more I did not see
nor hear a single bird, squirrel or other living
thing. Indeed the woods seemed utterly destitute
of life and as cheerless as possibly in the 
cold gray light of the dismal November day.
/  Near the lime kiln, however, we came upon a
little party of Chickadees as merry as usual all
in one tree, a low, spreading pitch pine. A larger
bird hopping from branch to branch in the very midst 
of the Titrinia & jetting its tail nervously proved to my
surprise to be a shrike, a very brown specimen. It soon
flew, crossing the opening in which we were standing & 
disappearing among the trees. The chickadees showed
no alarm whatever at its presence among them nor
did it apparently try to molest any of them.
[margin]Shrike in flock of Chickadees[/margin]
  We saw a fine [male] Hairy Woodpecker near the
Carlisle boundary flying from tree to tree along
the roadside. He was very tame allowing us to
get within a few yards. [deleted]of it.[/deleted]
[margin]Hairy Woodpecker[/margin]
  We also saw a Blue Jay, a Brown Creeper,
and two Partridges. The chipmunk Squirrels
have apparently gone to sleep for the winter.