1892
Oct. 24
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord. Clear & cool yet with no frost last night. Wind
N. W. blowing hard all day.
  There must have been a heavy flight of Woodcock last 
night for although I hunted alone and made a shoot
day, starting at 9 a.m. and getting home by 4 p.m.,
I found ten birds, killing nine of them. They were
dispatched as follows: One in the Packer Lot birches, three
on the hill south of Wodley's Run (one among dense young
white pines here), one on the peat flat behind Thube's,
two in the "Woodcock Hole", and three on Farrer's Hill.
Melvin's Run and the Knoll near Bateman's Pond proved
blanks. Then in all the coves I visited
more than half the birds were large females showing that
the bulk of the flight has not yet passed. They acted
rather lazy as a rule and flew in the old-fashioned
way. A few bothered the dog by running. I shot badly
at first but killed the last five birds in five shots.
Curiously enough I saw only one Partridge. He rose
in a perfectly open pasture & skimmed past me
within 20 yards but I missed him. His wings made no
noise whatever & I took him at first for a Cooper's
Hawk.
[margin]Heavy flight of Woodcock[/margin]
[margin]Silent flight of a Partridge[/margin]
  Six Horned Larks flying over a ploughed field, a
very white old male Marsh Hawk beating fifty acre
meadows, several Fox Sparrows along the roadsides,
a great many Robins in small flocks in pastures
and swampy thickets as well as among ground junipers,
Juncos in fair numbers. Hermit Thrushes arrived in
force at last. I started them everywhere & must
have seen thirty or forty in all.