
pine plantation and on the other, low grey birches and scattered hardwoods. 
The border growth on the whole is higher than that on Area 1. There was 
a high breeding population near this area and 6 singing males could be 
heard from one spot. 411 were captured and banded in the spring of 1955, 
but none of these was netted, 
Area 3 on the south side of Quabbin Reservoir is an abandoned field 
of several acres in extent. It is filled with scattered clumps of high 
bush blueberries. xeing open to the public, there were well beaten paths 
around all the blueberry bushes in July. These relatively clean bottom 
paths at the base of the bushes were the favorite lighting spots during 
the evening flight of woodcocks. The birds flew from neighboring woods 
and were seen on occasion to come from at least 300 yards away. There was 
a minimum of 8 singing males on this area in the spring. ‘This field was 
gen because of insufficient nets and possible disturbance by the 
public. 
melee ze of flights and behavior of birds.--The general pattern 
of the ghts was the same all three areas. The light intensity which 
prompts the beginning of singing earlier in the year is the same intensity 
causing the beginning of woodcock activity during the summer months. From 
the time the first bird is seen over the lighting field, all activity 
takes place for the next 10 or 15 minutes. It ceases very suddenly. Be- 
cause of the relatively brief duration of the flying period, a bird or two 
is usually lost when it hits one net and becomes briefly entangled because 
of the operator's preoccupation with disentangling another bird. It is 
not unusual to have two birds hit the same net almost simultaneously. The 
birds frequently fly by or into the field in groups of two or even three. 
There was no evidence that broods maintained their identity. ‘Some evenings 
as many as 35 birds were seen or heard. 
The most conspicuous behavior characteristics from mid-June until 
late July is a "semi-courtship"™ flight performed by the juvenal male birds. 
Many of the latter perform the typical circular wing twittering flight 
rising in spiral flights as do the adult males in the spring. [Their 
descent is also typical of the spring singing male bird, but the musical 
‘chirp™ note is never given. It is mostly assumption that these birds are 
juveniles since practically no adult males are captured. In one instance, 
a bird descending from one of these half-hearted "courtship" flights came 
directly into a nét and proved to be a juvenal bird. 
There is no indication of sexual development in the testes of these 
birds. All such "courtship" activity ceases by the end of July or very 
early August. During the evening of July 13, William B. Nutting observed 
such semi-courtship behavior of an apparent male and female on the light- 
ing field. 
One evening E. Howard, Jr., watched what was taken to be a female 
woodcock on the lighting field. She walked around in small circles delib- 
erately smoothing a place in the grass not unlike the behavior of a domes- 
tic setting hen. 
39 
