Concord, Mass
1902.
Oct. 28
  I have neglected to keep up this journal during the
past ten days partly because I have had a succession of
guests who have taken up most of my evenings but largely,
also, because I have much few observations worth recording.
The weather has been warm for the most part but on the
mornings of the 22nd and 26th water in shallow pools & the
surface of the ground, also, were frozen. Most of the Robins and
Rusty Grackles and all the Chipping Sparrows have departed
and I have seen no Bluebirds for several days. The
flight of Yellow-rumps has also about ended. I have as
yet noted no Fox nor Tree Sparrows. Titlarks still
pipe over the river meadows at evening and Horned Larks
have appeared within the past few days. Heavy flights
of Crows have been passing almost daily during the
past week.
  When I have been in the neighborhood of Lawrence's
pine woods at evening I have heard one of the Great
Horned Owls. Usually he has hooted only a few times
just before or a little after sunset. On the evening of
the 23rd I noted his hooting as follows: - Hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo,
hoo-hoo, hoo - there being no variation in respect to the
number of notes on this occasion. The next morning an
hour or two before daylight (about 3 A.M. I think it was
Gilbert & I were both awakened by the loud voice
of an Owl of this species which was certainly very
near the farm house & we both thought, in the big elm
which shades the driveway. He hooted a dozen or fifteen
times & regularly gave only five notes hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo,
hoo. This is the only instance which has ever come
under my observation of our Bubo hooting very near
a house or, indeed, anywhere save in deep woods.
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