The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-10


around to get away from the observ-
| er, or to come nearer to that which he
| seeks, or backs down with apparent
| ease No human tree. inspector knows
| SO well xvheFe to hook for the insect
| enemies that infest trees as does this
| white-backed bird of the sharp eyes
and acute hearing.
The Downy Woodpecker.
| Still another member of this inter-
| esting drummer family to be consid-
| cred is the smallest, the most silent
/ and the most serviceable of any of
them. This is the downy woodpecker-
! the western representative being the
Gardner woodpecker.
| This bird, like the previous form, is
| widely distributed in Utah, but, owing
| 10 its diminutive size in comparison
with those already named, and it's quiet
ways. ii is not so well known as the
others. Like the Others it is resi-
dent, and may be met with oftener in
! the winter than in the summer for the
reason that the conditions for seeing it
are then more favorable. One must use
eyes rather than ears i'm the study of
this bird, because so rarely does he
tell of his presence. He is to be found
at work in the orchards, upon the trees
along the streets, and the scattering
A Useful Ally.
It's food habits place the Downv in
the front rank of woOdpecker helpers
of man. And he is such an industrious
persistent, energetic, alWays-at-it kind
of worker, that he accomplishes much
! for those upon whose premises he is to
| be found. The food of this bird con-
| tanS larger per cent of animal mat
| ter than can be placed to the credit of
the Harris woOdpecker. this element of
Downy's food amountin to "A per
cent, leaving 26 per cent for vegetable
and mineral elements. In common with
the flicker. this bird appears to be fond
| of ants, these comprising nearly % per
cent of the food taken. Beetles Cole
| Optera), bugs, flies. caterpillars and
! grasshoppers, with a few spiders. make
up the remainder of this insect portion.
| While Downy is fond of ants, he
| seems TO prefer BEETLES, as these consti-
| tute a slightly larger per cent of the
/ food. Many of these beetles are of the
! family of May beetles but the larger
| part are wood boring larvae.
In the matter of vegetable diet.
| DOwny appears to take a little of
| many things. rather than much of any
ONE which preserves the bird from do
| ing any damage to any crop of COM
mercial value. 1t, too, in common with
the two already dealt with, takes the
| berries of the Virginia creeper, service
/ berries, strawberries and a few others.
! Seeds constitute a small per cent of
the food. Mullen seeds and flower pet
| ais and seeds, others are taken in small
amounts.
| Downy, like the other members of the
| family, has no song, but turns tto its
/ drum when it would find musical ex-
/ preston. It's call is confined mostly to
a single chip
| This species seems to enjoy the pres
ence of man, or at all events, he seeks
/ the abodes of men by coming familiar
| ly about the trees close to the orchards
near by. OF course, his search for food
/ brings him, but this he could obtain
| elsewhere, if he chose to look for it,.
| DoWny nests in a tunnel driven into
dive tree, ordinarily. This work is
done by the birds themselves and they
/ work most iudustriously till the hori-
/ Zontal hole is made, and the perpen-
dicular shaft Is completed 0ncident
of DOWny and Red-head at Centerville
| Mich, i'm spring of $50
| The eggs are from four to five in
number, and of the typical white: ap-
parently both birds share in the work
! of incubation.
| ne SWISS Wooopecker.
/ One other member of the Drummer
! family must be given place here,
/ though he lives at greater attitudes.
and is less likely to be met with by
teacher and pupil save as he is sought
during the summer vacation. This is
the Lewis wOOdpecker-a bard first
made known to science by the Lewis
and Clarke expedition. and named for
of "a of
that epochmaking journey into the
then unknown wilderness, from the
Mississippi to the Columbia.
1t is of interest to note in this con-
nection, that the delightful character
and pOet-naturalist, as well as orni-
biologist Alexander Wilson, in his
American ORTHODOXY, records the fact
that.s 1T was the wish, and particular
request of Captain Lewis, made to me
in person. that / should make drawings
of such of the feathered tribes as had
been preserved and were new"
These beautiful birds-the most beau
tiful of the woOdpeckers. l think-are
generally distributed at attitudes rang
ing from $500 feet up. / have found them
lower than Echo, which is 5,459 feet,
and where they appeared to be quite
common. especially along the Weber
river near that place. of course these
birds may come lower, but / have not
found them other than as stated. When
following up the Provo river toward
its headwaters in 1900 we found them
i'm fiocks; later l met them at the half
way trough between Heber and Park
City, and at COalVilIe.
For the most part they remain among
the trees and small timber. along or
near streams; but | have seen one of
these birds on telephone pole imme-
diately in front of the Summit county
court house at COalville, and he did not
seem at all disturbed by the teams and
people passing. Later he flew over to
the timber in the river bottoms, where
l secured him.
These birds have a peculiar flight It
is not direct, but, especially when a
number of them are together, they will
fly about as high as the tops of large
poplars or cottOnwoods, and seem to be
uncertain as to what TO do. They APP
pear to waver and ZigZag about: and
at such times. their size, and the bot
tle-green cOlOr-appearing black at
distance-cause them to resemble young
crows, or some member of the crow
family.
The food of these birds is made UP
largely of insects, though wild berries