Newton, Mass.
1901.
June 27
(No 9)
on which this Woodpecker invariably alighted for a 
moment to chatter and look about her before descending
to the nest. She seemed to be a more nervous bird
than her mate and to regard us with suspicion
not unmixed with apprehension. On reaching the hole,
however, she entered it almost instantly and like her
mate fed the young so quickly that she was out of
sight less than half a minute on each occasion.
On coming out she would begin chattering again
starting up the male who, during her absence, would
be wholly silent, to chattering also. Both birds uttered
the same cry which at times closely resembled
the rolling croak of the Toad, at others was harsher
and more rattling - a rattling chatter, I should term
it, consisting of from seven to ten or a dozen notes
repeated very quickly, all on the same key.
The nest was about five feet below the top of the shrub
and twenty feet above the ground. The entrance hole was
discolored and evidently made at least a year ago. It
was the most ragged, ungainly-shaped hole that I
have ever seen being more nearly square than round
in general outline. It faced the west and at the time
of our visit the sun was beating directly into it.
How the young Woodpeckers could have endured the
terrific heat in such exposed as well as confined
quarters is a mystery. The shrub was about fifteen 
inches in diameter at the base and nearly or
quite twelve inches at the nest. It contained in all
no less than eight Woodpeckers holes. Most of these were
smaller than that which formed the entrance to the nest &
several were fresher looking while one appeared to be perfectly new.