An Adirondack Lunch Counter 



19 



My observation in this respect is confirmed by a lumberman, who 

 noticed that when eating his lunch back in the woods the Chickadees 

 were very friendly and would carry off scraps of meat and hide them, 

 coming back for more time and again. 



The next day another pair of Chickadees and a pair of White- 

 breasted Nuthatches came. The Nuthatches had a presumptuous way 

 of taking possession, and came first 

 one and then both together. The « 

 Chickadees flew back and forth in 

 an impatient manner, but every 

 time they went near the meat the 

 Nuthatches would fly or hop to- 

 ward them, uttering what sounded 

 to me like a nasal, French no, no, 

 no, and the Chickadees would re- 

 tire to await their turn when the 

 Nuthatches were away. 



The news of the free lunch 

 must have traveled as rapidly in the 

 bird world as gossip in a country 

 town usually does, for before long 

 a beautiful male Hairy Woodpecker 

 made his appearance, and came 

 regularly night and morning for a 

 number of days. Hunger made ^" 

 him bold, and he would allow me 

 to walk to within a few feet of him 

 when changing plates in the camera. It was interesting to note his posi- 

 ,tion on the plank. When he was eating, his tail was braced to steady his 

 body. He did not stand on his feet, except when I attracted his atten- 

 tion by tapping on the window, but when eating put his feet out in 

 front of him in a most peculiar manner. This position enabled him to 

 draw his head far back and gave more power to the stroke of his bill, 

 and shows that Woodpeckers are not adapted for board -walking. 



Of course the smaller Downy Woodpeckers were around ; they always 

 are in the orchard toward spring. I also had a flock of Redpolls come 

 a number of times after a little bare spot of ground began to show, but 

 although they ate seeds I put on the ground, they would not come up 

 on the lunch counter and did not stay very long. Beautiful Pine Gros- 

 beaks came, too, but they preferred picking up the seeds they found 

 under the maple trees. The American Goldfinches, in their Quaker 

 winter dresses, called, but the seeds on some weeds in the garden just 

 peeping above the snow pleased them better than a more elaborate lunch, 

 and saying, "per-chic-o-ree," they would leave. 



HAIRY WOODPECKER 



