148 ANIMAL LIFE OF CARLSBAD CAVERN 



guilla, or yucca, or pecking holes in the larger trunks of 

 the cane cactus, or in some old trunk of a live oak, or 

 even in a fence post. They are true desert dwellers, 

 and are apparently as important to the protection of 

 desert vegetation as are other species to the welfare of 

 our forests. 



Red-shafted flickers are common about the cave in 

 migration at least, and during late March and early 

 April two were living in the mouth of the great cave, 

 apparently spending the nights in small holes in the 

 limestone wall, high up under the arched doorway. 

 On several occasions they were seen trying to drive 

 away the pair of sparrow hawks that also had staked 

 out claims in the doorway, and once they were seen 

 attacking a rough-legged hawk that had taken refuge 

 there. Later, however, they disappeared, probably 

 moving northward or higher up in the mountains to 

 their regular breeding grounds. 



A little higher in the hills the beautiful ant-eating 

 woodpeckers store acorns in the bark of oaks and yellow 

 pines, and occasionally a few of the big black-backed 

 and red-bellied Lewis's woodpeckers are seen. 



Both the western and Texas nighthawks occur here at 

 the cave, or in the valley nearby. On warm evenings 

 after the middle of March the plaintive poor-will was 

 often heard softly whistling its name near the camp 

 buildings at the mouth of the cave and over in the 

 canyon near the spring. More fully nocturnal than the 

 nighthawks, these small goatsuckers are rarely seen in 

 the daytime unless flushed from their roosting place 

 on the ground, when they fly a short distance on soft, 



