Lake Umbagog.
1896
May 14
(No 3
[May 14, 1896]

evening air. Watrous heard it first & at once exclaimed "there's a 
Wood Thrush".! I was making a noise at the moment & the notes
failed to reach my ear so I replied "there are no Wood Thrushes in
this region". But the next instant I had to acknowledge my
mistake.
  A Robin also sang finely in these spruces & a Savanna Sparrow
sang twice apparently well in among the trees which grow very
densely.

Song of the Woodcock

  We now retraced our steps to the Sargent pasture where we
found two Woodcock singing & puping [pumping], both unusually fine
performers with full, rich voices. Perhaps this rarefied air
helped them a bit but certain it is that I never remember
to [have] heard such sweet & strong singers before. Watrous who has
no sentiment about such matters & who has heard the Woodcock
sing here for the first time expressed strong appreciation
of the song this evening. It is surprising that any one can
deny its great musical merit. It does not suffer by comparison
with the many fine bird songs of this region but, on the
contrary, seems to be one of the most delightful of them all.
The birds were about 200 yards apart, one in a perfectly
open, rough, hummocky pasture 100 yards from any cover, the
other one on a springy flat sparsely covered with young
willows, maples & other saplings.