1981 Walter D. Koenig Melanerpes formicivorus Buckeye Hastings Reservation 29 March Purge: j620. Not seen after banding on 12 July 1980. 15 April 915. Plenty of stores but none in any of the known holes up here. 26 April 1415. 2 birds flushed from the low hole in the granary; could be it unless they decide to screw up again on us. 27 April 1340. 3 in hole: 6 eggs, not fresh. 28 April Watched from 1530-1730, during which a time these birds pulled their same old tricks: i.e., a 3 in the hole when I arrived sat looking out for about the 1st 40m before going down briefly and then leaving, following which nobody came to the hole at all, even though there were birds in the granary. I did see 8234, but not at the hole: he came exploring over near where I was sitting. In short, Ron would appear to be right: these birds are not to be watched during incubation. 5 May 1610. Walked by, flushing a bird from the hole, in which there are young babies. (This means that the 6 eggs were a complete clutch, since otherwise the incubation period would have had to be 8 days or less.) 9 May 1100. Opened the nest, where they have 4 babies and 2 unhatched (and infertile) eggs. The babies were marked and weighed. 18 May Watched the nest for 1½ hrs from 1320-1450. The birds were around, but none at all would go near the hole (there were babies calling inside, however). I saw 9483, 8234, and 8619 here in the granary, however. 19 May Finally got a good nest watch here from