1981 R.L. Mumme Melanerpes formicivorus Road 1 (18 April) 0934, ♀383 eating a bit of her own egg in the granary! → cracking the egg a bit as she inserts her bill to the bottom of the egg. 0938, ♂577 egg sucks some 0938 ♂486 on top of Valley Oak nest stub, I suspect ♀269 inside. 0940, ♀383 enters the Valley Oak nest hole. ♂486 then eats as well. { 0942 ♀269 leaves nest, ♂486 leaves too (初) 0944 -- ♀383 leaves Valley Oak nest, carrying egg laid earlier in the morning by ♀269!!! Great! ♀383 left very slowly & deliberately, and carried the egg to the tall vertical branches at the very top of the sycamore near the 1980 nest area (the sycamore in which we placed the artificial nest hole this year. About 40-50 meters). ♀383 immediately "stores" the egg in a storage hole. Great! 0945, ♀383 returns to Valley Oak hole, enters, looks out, back down several times. 0955-- ♀269 in top of the sycamore, pokes hole in the "stored" egg (her own egg!), and starts to suck out albumen for a few seconds. Fantastic! ♀269 then flies off. Stop for awhile at 1000. 1025, Back at the watch at PO Hill. Both eggs still in place (one (♀383) 1°g, top branch, one (♀269's) sycamore top. The one in the 1°g looking a bit torn up. 1030 "Business as usual" in the 1°granary. ♀269 +