. Notes on the birds of Northamptonshire and neighbourhood . I heard of Woodcockshaving been seen in the last week of September 1886,I have no doubt that the birds then observed werelingerers that had bred, or been bred, in our may add that the above is the only report of Wood-cocks in Norths in September that has come to myknowledge. The Woodcock is a nocturnal bird, and in stormyor thick weather, at the time of his first arrival, will,as the common saying goes, drop in anywhere,and with us may be found in turnips, or still morecommonly in the old fences that border our roadsand lane
. Notes on the birds of Northamptonshire and neighbourhood . I heard of Woodcockshaving been seen in the last week of September 1886,I have no doubt that the birds then observed werelingerers that had bred, or been bred, in our may add that the above is the only report of Wood-cocks in Norths in September that has come to myknowledge. The Woodcock is a nocturnal bird, and in stormyor thick weather, at the time of his first arrival, will,as the common saying goes, drop in anywhere,and with us may be found in turnips, or still morecommonly in the old fences that border our roadsand lanes. I feel certain that the autumnal migratoryinstinct and the intention of the Woodcock is ever westward ho! that he feeds greedily during thefirst two or three hours after sunset, and then seekssome sheltered and quiet spot for rest and digestion;the latter operation completed, if the night is clearand the wind moderate, our bird resumes his travels,and as soon as daylight appears drops into the firstattractive-looking spot. If, on the contrary, the night. AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 43 is very dark or tempestuous, the Woodcock does nottravel from his feeding-ground further than into thenearest shelter from the wind. In our neighbourhood the first flight of Woodcocksappears to be small in number and much scattered ;the second flight, which generally arrives sooner orlater during the month of November, is morenumerous, and the birds of which it is composedseem to find their way at once to the coverts thatthey prefer, and to remain there as long as theweather remains open and our ploughed landsavailable as feeding-grounds; as soon as the frostbecomes severe the Woodcocks naturally seek themargins of running brooks and boggy spring-headsfor their nocturnal banquet, but a few days of reallyhard frost, more especially if accompanied by snow,soon clear our woods of these most desirable birds. I cannot hear of any really large bag of Woodcockshaving been made in Northamptonshire. An oldgameke
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1895
