109
Lake Umbagog.
Bottle Brook Pond.
1897
June 2
(No 8)
again then I heard the peculiar hollow rustling
of wings which all Woodpeckers make when taking
short, halting flights and the next instant the bird
struck against the trunk of the dead spruce a few
feet below the hole. Up to this time I had taken
it for granted that at the best I have stumbled on
an occupied nest of Picoides arcticus a good find,
of course, provided it proved to contain eggs. But
what was my surprise and delight when with
the bird in plain view and scarce ten yards
distant I saw at once by his small size and
the white bands on the back that I had
discovered one of the very rarest of New England
bird nests and one quite new to me viz. that
of Picoides americanus. It was the same bird that
we had driven away from the nest - the male - and
a beautiful creature he was with his clear yellow
crown (the feathers of which he raised every now
and then in a loose crest) contrasting fairly with
the black and white of his general plumage and
the background of dark evergreen foliage. He did
not appear to notice us at first although he looked
keenly around before climbing up to the hole. Just
as he reached it I was conscious that his bright
hazel eye met my eyes which of course, were
riveted upon him. Instantly he resorted to one of
the prettiest tricks that I have ever seen practised
by a bird surprised [delete]near[/delete] at its nest and anxious
to [delete][?][/delete] avert suspicion of its near presence. He
began [delete][?][/delete] pecking at the trunk just below
the hole prying off small pieces of bark & peering
[margin]Nest of
Picoides
americanus[margin]