Ill 



PHOTOGRAPHING FLICKERS 



IF I were the owner of the firs about the reed-covered 

 pond and were drawing rental from the bird tenants, 

 I would rather take a lease from the Flickers (Colaptes 

 cafer collaris) than any other feathered family. They're 

 not always amoving south and leaving your trees without 

 an occupant as soon as the frost nips. When the ther- 

 mometer drops low and the kinglets are twittering too 

 softly to be heard more than a few yards away, " high- 

 hole " always sends a full share of bird cheer up and down 

 the scattering woods. Nor is he half as particular as some 

 of the other bird residents. He takes the best of the few 

 remaining stumps and seems satisfied. Once he pounded 

 out a wooden home just below his last year's house. His 

 wife didn't like it very much, but they settled It in some 

 way and reared a thriving family. 



One January day I was wading through the wet grass 

 and low bushes near Ladd's farm when a flicker flapped 

 up almost in my face. His mate followed. I found sev- 

 eral holes where they had been driving into the ground for 

 food. The bug supply under the bark was low, or maybe 

 it was purely a voluntary change of diet. 



" Red-hammer " of the West, like " yellow-hammer," 

 his eastern cousin, is a rather odd mixture of woodpecker 

 and robin. The Picus family in general takes its food 



2S 



