1906
April 26
(No 2)
once flap its wings. Its circling was performed exactly
like that of the Cooper's Hawk seen on the 17th. When 
flying straight away from the elm it alternately flapped
and scaled for a distance of about 100 yards. A Sharp-shin
may be readily distinguished from a Cooper's Hawk when
flying in this manner for it moves less swiftly and its
course is seldom perfectly straight. Its flight is
more buoyant and erratic and gives one less the
impression of momentum. The wings are beaten less often
and also less rapidly & continuously. Nevertheless it is by
no means easy to distinguish the female Sharp-shin from the
male Cooper's unless one has had long experience.
  The pair of Downy Woodpeckers which have haunted the
trees close to the house are preparing to nest in a dead
limb of the old elm at the east end of the shed. I
heard one of them at work there about 10 o'clock this
morning and the light, muffled sound of its blows went
on almost unceasingly from then until sunset. Every few
minutes the bird would come to the mouth of the hole and
eject a quantity of small chips not all together but one or
two at a time until a score or more had been dropped
when it would back down out of sight & resume its tapping.
The hole is very small. I do not understand how the birds
can have carried it down so far without attracting my
notice for I have been constantly employed directly under
the tree during the past two weeks. Another curious fact
is that I saw the pair copulating on the afternoon of the 17th.
While thus engaged the female sat perched crossways on a twig &
one or both birds made a low chattering cry. I did not once
see the bird leave the hole today & could not work out its sex.