Page:Condor14(3).djvu/16

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94 THE CONDOR Vol. XIV Which was twenty-five inches in diameter at the base, and twenty at the nest hole, the latter being seven feet above the ground. The nest was eight inches deep, the entrance one and three-quarters inches in diameter; the thickness of the wood on the front side of the hole was two and three-quarters inches, and the cavity was five inches from front to back, and three wide. There were a few chips in the bottom, as well as a few of the birds' droppings. There were two young, about ready to fly, though I had no difficulty in posing them on the tree for pictures; they showed little or no fear. Before we opened the nest we used to see them come to the hole whenever we came close to the tree, and often saw the parents feeding them. The whole family was collected and is now in the Colorado College Collaction. This woodpecker is not at all common in Colorado, and is confined to the forests at the higher elevations, but at the same time is probably widely distributed over the mountainous parts of the State. This is the second time I have met with it myself, the .previous occasion being on the divide between Sapinero and Currecanti Creeks, Gunnison County, at 9350 feet altitude. 34. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. Red~naped Sapsucker. One was taken near our camp at Buffalo Pass sawmill, July 24. I thought I saw a female Williamson Sapsucker at the same place, but failed to secure it, so am not positive as to the identification. ? ?., 35. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. Seen but a fe?v times; at Cedar Point, at F0'rt Morgan, where a pair had a nest in a c.: tt. :'..- weod stub near the fair grounds, at Fort Collins, near Golden, and at our very la?,t camp at Arvada, just outside of Denver. 36. Asyndesmus lewisi. Lewig Woodpecker. But few were noted, eight or ten being seen May 22 between Elbert and Bijou Creek, and my notes say that though they presumably live in the pines, almost all of them were seen in the open country. One was seen near Log Cabin. 37. Colaptes caret collaris. Red-shafted Flicker. Seen with s):re fre- quency, yet hardly as often as it should have been. It was noted at Bijou Creek May 22, where one had a nest, which, however, I did not investigate, near Briggs- dale, at Fort Colling, and between there and Home P. O, at Chambers Lake, at the Cameron Pass camp, at Hell Creek, Buffalo Pass sawmill, Steamboat Springs, near Phippsburg, on the Berthoud Pass road and near Arvada. 38. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli. Poor-will. Two were seen at Cedar Po:nt May 27. 39. Chordeiles virginianus henryi. Western Nighthawk. After seeing the first one near Mattison, May 24, Nighthawks were seen almost everywhere we went except at the highest elevations. The last was seen at Steamboat Springs, August 1, for we did not happen to note any after that. While in the plains region we often saw Nighthawks perched on fence posts, and I always tried to photograph such bird. s, but they would fly before I got quite as close as I wished. I persevered, however, and finally had my reward the afternoon of June 11, when one proved.a most gratifying subject, allowing me to approach as close as I desired; as near in f?ct as I could go and focus my Graflex with a fourteen inch lens, and I could get nearly twenty inches extension the way I was using it. The bird even allowed me to crawl through a wire fence a few feet from the post it was on, so that I might have the light from the right direc- tion. One could hardly ask more. We found several nests, or rather eggs; at