NORTHERN DOWNY WOODPECKER 55 



Lewis O. Shelley (1932), who, at East Westmoreland, N. H., has 

 had an extensive experience with banded birds throughout the year, 

 describes the courtship thus: 



Courtship activities begin rather early with the male's tattooing commencing 

 in the warm days of March. I believe the most active mating display is given 

 by a new male that desires a mate, not by a male mated the previous year 

 whose mate is still living. The latter male seems to give a protecti^■e display to 

 its rival, seemingly just enough to hold his mate's trust. 



In the spring of 1931, father and son * * * fought for and sought the 

 favor of the young female • * * the son finally winning after days of 

 courtship in our yard and vicinity. * * * Courting lasted for upwards 

 of two weeks, or perhaps longer, before the female made her choice. Of the 

 two rivals the son finally was accepted, the older male shortly disappearing. 

 * * * The courtship display of these three birds was the same as I have 

 observed with other mating Downy Woodpeckers elsewhere in past seasons. 

 At my station the mating activities began when the birds first met and was 

 continued more or less regularly thereafter. The female is usually rather 

 quiet, sometimes giving a iceelc, week, week, week, or again a squeaking note. 

 The males give forth a loud loick, wick, wick, wick, icick, wick, sometimes with 

 a rolling k-k-k-k-k at the end. Very little drumming on resonant objects is 

 done by the male, once a female is located, and in this case almost none was 

 done except when one male was out of sight and hearing of the female and the 

 other courting bird. To the casual observer, the chasing of the female by the 

 male to a tree, and from tree to tree, in a seemingly idle manner (often, but 

 not always, by both males) is in reality a part of the mating manoeuvres. 



When it happens that both males are in pursuit, the activities take on an, 

 added impetus. I have a number of times seen one male dash headlong across 

 a fifty-yard opening to where the other two birds were, loudly uttering his cry, 

 and, when alighting, dash at his adversary, the female squeaking intermittently, 

 and svidnging her body from side to side. The display also consists of spread 

 wings nervously fluttered ; raising and lowering of the scarlet patch ; mad 

 dashes from one tree to another at the fleeing female, who dodges to the 

 opposite side of the tree as the pursuing bird alights; loud calls at intervals 

 when he stops in his mad hopping up the limbs and smaller branches. This 

 activity may last from five to thirty minutes, from the large elm in our yard, 

 where the birds feed, to a larger area either south or east of the house. When 

 two birds are alone together, it is common to find them perching near together 

 and motionless for considerable periods of time, but let the second male appear 

 and the first male will drive the female from the tree and the round is begun 

 again. When two males come face to face in a headlong rush, wings spread, 

 crest raised, and beak open in a challenging attitude, it is mostly sham, for 

 they soon quiet down unless one advances up the tree toward the female 

 clinging immovable above. 



There is a period when the male is very active in his rushing of the female — 

 I suppose to make sure of his desire, a mate — but this phase of courtship plays 

 no part in the act of copulation, which I have seen enacted early in the morning, 

 a quiet, matter-of-fact performance. 



The first and last paragraphs of this quotation are taken from 

 Mr. Shelley'^s manuscript notes. 



Nesting. — The downy woodpecker nests in a cavity that the birds 

 themselves drill in a branch or stub 8 feet (rarely less) to 50 feet 



