The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-06-23

Z
specting tree after tree. Many times,
during their tireless rounds OF search
and inspection, have followed them
| for hours. On one occasion in the
mountains of Colorado | followed a
Batchelder through spruce forest all
day long. Both OF us had busy day,
He inspected S27 trees, most of which
were spruce or lodgepole pine. Tho
he moved quickly, he was intensely
concentrated, was systematic and APP
parently did the inspection carefully.
The forest was a healthy one and har-
bored only struggling insects. Now and
then he picked up an isolated insect
from limb or took an egg cluster from
break in the bark on a trunk. Only
two pecking operations were required.
On another occasion l watched a
hairy woodpecker spend more than
three days upon one tree trunk. This he
pecked full of holes and from its vitals
dragged more than a gross of devouring
grubS. In this case the beetle colony
was not only totally destroyed but the
tree survived.
Woodpecker holes commonly are
shallow, except in dead trees. Most
Of the burowing or boring insects which
infest living trees work in the outermost
sapwood, just beneath the bark, or in
the inner bark. Hence the doctor does
not need to cut deeply. In most cases
his peckings in the wood are so shallow
that no scar or record is found. Hence
tree might be operated on by him in
a dozen places in one season and
number of times during other seasons,
and still not show a scar when split or
sawed into pieces. Most Of his peck
ings simply penetrate the bark, and on
living trees this epidermis scales off;
thus in a short time all traces of his
feast-getting are obliterated
I have, however, in dissecting and in
studying fallen trees, found a number
of deep holes in their trunks which
woodpeckers had made years before the
trees came to their death. In one in
stance, in the Story of Thousand-Year
Pine, a deep oblong hole was pecked
in a pine nearly 800 years before it
died. The hole filled with pitch and
was overgrown with bark and wood.
Woodpeckers commonly nest in a
dead limb or trunk number of feet
from the ground. Here, in the heart
of things, they excavate a moderately
roomy nest. 1t is common for many
woodpeckers to peck out deep hole
in a dead tree for individual shelter
during the winter Generally neither
nest nor hole is used longer than one
season.
These abandoned holes are welcomed
as shelters and nesting places by many
birds that prefer wooden-walled homes
and shelters but cannot construct such
places. Chickadees and bluebirds often
nest in them. Screech-owls frequently
philosophize within these retreats. On
bitter cold nights these holes shelter
and save birds of many species. One
autumn day, while watching beneath
pine, IS nuthatches issued from wood
pecker's hole in dead limb. Just
what they were doing inside l cannot
imagine. The extraordinary number
that had gathered therein made the in
cident so unusual that tor a long time
| hesitated to tell it. However, early
one autumn, F. M. Chapman climbed
up the mountainside TO see me; and,
while resting on the way up, he beheld
81 huthatches emerge from a hole in
pine.
By tapping against dead ireetrunks l
have often reused Mother Woodpecker
from her nest. Thrusting out her head
from a hole far above, she peered down
with one eye and from her nest conf
cally tilted her head 10 discover the
cause of the disturbance. With long
nose and head tilted to one side, she
had both storky and philosophical
appearance. The woodpecker, more
than any bird of my acquaintance, at
times actually appears to need a pair Of
spectacles on his nose in order to fully
complete his attitude and expression Of
wisdom.
-.,ollae4