1980 Walter D. Koenig Melanerpes formicivorus Westgate Hastings Reservation (76 January) 1) the former unbanded ♂ at Westgate is restored. 2) the former unbanded ♀ at Westgate is restored. 3) 8532, 8533, and 8519 are all assumed to have founded Gate on 28 December 1979. Subsequently, of course, it would appear as though the 8's have turned over already. In any case, for the moment I'm going to give both these groups a new lease on life. 2. February I've now been past here several times in the last week or so and have watched here twice at dusk and never seen a thing (not quite true - Ron saw 1 bird roost in Weake sycamore). Things are suspiciously slow here. Today I came out at 14:15 to look around and get a feel for what's up. Though I was only here ~½ hour, the situation appears fairly clear: the 3 Westgate birds are as before, all here and spending their time from about ½ way between the Gate and Weake trees to the Sycamores at Haliseys. I identified 858 and 0'ub and saw the 3rd bird, a ♀. However, (and this is a feeling I've had from being here at dusk also), I am fairly sure that the Gate birds, from 8519 on down, have abandoned altogether, and that there are no longer birds at Gate at all. There is certainly no activity at Gate and no stores have been put in there. The only sign of funny business I saw was a 2nd unbanded ♂ who was in the area between the granaries and who was being displaced by another ub ♂ (presumably the Weake bird). Thus, Gate appears to have disbanded as precipitously as it started. Obviously I now need to find out if 8519 returns to Valhalla!