1982 R.C. Munne Melanerpes formicivorus Westgate 8 Feb Counted stores, 1130: 580 4 March Alan + I watch here, and quickly get a complete census: 1030-1100 ♂58 no leg, ♀599 M/CBlue-Red, and ♀692, Blue - DBLue/DBlue - CBlue. All doing well. 28 March Counted stores, 1300: 400 13 April A quick look with Leslie produces a complete census: ♂58, ♀599, ♂692 all seen well. 10 May At Leslie's recommendation, we drag the ladders out and check the '81 hole, 1830: 5 eggs. I had to peep in, since the hole seems to have been glued shut. The whole limb is so fragile, I only want to open it once, to band the babies. That is too bad, in a sense, because 1 or 2 of the eggs looked quite small (runts?), but I'm not sure. Anyway, from Leslie's description - it sounds like incubation started on at least 8 May, I will guess hatching on 19 May, + banding on 10 June 7 June Counted stores, 0930 - 70 Total 10 June I finally return to the nest here at 0800, only to find it has failed! No eggs, no nestlings, and a skull of a nestling (with a culmen 8.8mm, meaning ~age 6 days) was all I could find. Also, there was a slight "Stench of death" in the hole, and it was covered with those obnoxious ants that smell so strongly of formic acid. Anyway we know the eggs (or at least 1) hatched here, but that's about all. Could ants have caused failure? Will have to watch here,