Lake Umbagog.
1896
May 14
[May 14, 1896]

  Clear and warm although there was a rather fresh N. [North] wind after
10 a.m.

Arrivals.

  Arrivals: Swainson's Thrush (1 calling, 1 singing at evening) Wood Thrush (1
calling at evening) Bobolink (heard chinking high in air at 10 a.m.,
one in full song in the fields near the house at noon).

Nest of Woodcock
Photographing nest of Hermit Thrush
Behavior of sitting bird.

  Watrous & I spent the better part of the forenoon in the woods &
thickets at the east end of the Brown clearing. Our especial object
was to find the Woodcock's nest which I was lucky enough to
stumble on after about an hours search. It was near the lower
end of the run about midway between the east path and the
road on a low mound covered with Blueberry bushes & dead brakes,
surrounded by scattered willows, spruces & balsams but in a opening
fully exposed to the sun. I had stopped for a moment to look
around when the bird rose within about 8 ft. [feet] of me & I at
once saw the nest and eggs. The latter were quite fresh but two of
them had cracks radiating from a common center & making us
think at first that the eggs were about to hatch. I took
five photographs of this nest and one of the nest of the Hermit
Thrush which W. [Watrous] found yesterday. The bird was sitting to-day.
I put up my camera within three feet of the nest & she came
back to her eggs three or four times but she flew off the nest
each time I returned before I could spring the shutter. After
the first failure I built a booth of pine boughs about the
camera. This did not deter her from resuming her place but
It also did not screen me sufficiently from her clear eyes. We left
this nest unmolested & I shall again try for a picture.
  Watrous found a Partridge's nest with four eggs. It was under
some fallen branches near a fence & only three or four rods from the road.
The bird ran off out of sight but she left all but one egg covered with leaves.