1976 Walter D. Koenig Melanerpes formicivorus MacRoberts (16 November) the cage. No vocalizations by either, but the ♂ is investigating the caged bird carefully. Finally is atop the cage, pecking carefully at the bird. A barrift-cut by the adult brought the ♀ briefly, but she did not investigate the cage, stored her acorn and left. 1300. ♂ still ♂ walking around the cage pecking at the bird. On top of the cage some of the time or in the tree at its cide, but not in the nest. He stands inches away from the occupied cell, but does not fly at it - knowing the captive can't get at him. This continued to 1315, with the ♂ walking around and around the cage, while the ♀ came in a couple more times but again paid little attention to the captive. At about 1315 I walked up behind them and flushed up the ♂ enough to get marginally into the net, but he extricated himself before I could get up to him. 1345. He finally got into the net after pecking around on top of the cage for another 10 minutes. - banded and processed as #323 and released. Net taken down. 22 November 1600. Captive and net up. 1635. ♂323 here looking; a 2nd bird definitely in the vicinity; but interest, with the sun setting, is ♂ certainly waning. 1640. Net and bird coming down. 23 November I still don't know exactly what to make of things here, but it is at least time to purge #162, last seen 5 Aug, gone by 11 Sept, thus disappeared about 24 August ± 2 weeks. 29 November Scared one bird out of the granary near dusk, but I still don't see what they're eating, as they still only have a very few acorns stored