Population.--A total of 2.2 miles of road totaling 6,752 acres of 
the reservation were driven. The country covered included several miles 
of large hardwods which held no breeding birds. Although a sample of 
only 7.7 percent of the total Quabbin acreage was covered it is fairly 
representative of the total area. It would be logical to expect a higher 
number of birds along roads if the latter followed only open valleys with 
streams. However, the heaviest concentration of breeding birds were found 
in high former pasture land, well removed from streams and planted to 
spruce and pine. Much of this type of country was not covered during 
the spring. 
Assuming the acreage traversed comprises a fair sample, the number 
of singing grounds found amounted to 134. Further assuming there to be 
no more than one pair to a singing ground the over-all average wuld be 
SO acres per breeding pair. Actually the best areas held as many as a 
pair to 8 acres. Applying this to the total 88,000 acres, there wuld 
be approximately 1,760 breeding pairs in Quabbin Reservation with a 
production potential of 6,000-7,000 chicks. 
Coniferous Plantations as Woodcock Breeding Habitat 
. Planting conifers is widely accepted as a technique to attract 
several species of upland game to sub-marginal land. Although soil 
types, surrounding cover and some other factors are part of the 
ecological habitat required by woodcocks it is a striking fact that 
in most areas throughout central Massachusetts evergreen plantations 
attract breeding woodcocks. Many found outside Quabbin Reservation 
used old fields growing back to white pine. Since planting these trees 
often protects watersheds and eventually produces lumber, the possi- - 
bility of the practice of increasing woodcock breeding territory warrants 
careful scrutiny by the game manager. 
It is anticipated that this study will eventually include a care- 
ful ecological study. of these breeding areas. Undoubtedly an isolated 
plantation with no surrounding hardwood cover wuld not be suitable for 
woodcocks,. 
Quabbin Reservation offers the rare opportunity of tabulating 
breeding densities of wodcocks in plantations of known ages and com- 
prising red and white pine, Norway spruce and larch. The pines pre- 
dominate. 
Even-aged plantations varying from 15 to l, years of age were trapped. 
It is probable that as the stands reach an age where the understory is 
relatively clean and openings are closed over there will be fewer breed- 
ing woodcocks. 
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