1976 Walter D. Koenig Melanerpes formicivorus Gate (16 February) on my catching some birds here in order so that I can eventually figure out exactly who/how many birds are here! For now, however, it's a fair guess that this banded ♂ moved here with ♀58, his group mate, originally; he had been seen since up at lower Haystack, but I now interpret this as return visits, not a "permanent" return. (The very fact that he was not chased away is of interest - also indicating that his move was voluntary, not forced by other more dominant group members). If 9 birds are indeed here, which is possible, #391 will no doubt be reinstated, but otherwise he is best forgotten. It occurs to me to ruminate over the possibility that these two groups (former New Gate and Westgate) merged in December rather than Westgate taking over Gate and Gate disappearing, thus accounting for the extraordinary flush of birds living at Gate now, numbers which certainly never seemed to be present back at Westgate. Catching the birds may help to solve some of the mysteries, but the precise events surrounding this area are never going to be very clear, I fear. 18 February 1000. Counted stores: Westgate tree: 605 [there are quite a lot of snags with a few to many holes acorns, several of which have no doubt been missed in the past, and a couple of which were no doubt missed even today!] Gate tree: 162 Total: 767 [In contrast to the Westgate tree, where holes are essentially filled with untouched acorns, here they have clearly been well worked over, with mostly hulls only left sticking in the holes] Lots of birds were around in both areas. ♀58 and unband (prob. juvenile by I shape #320) were seen in Gate tree.