Unfortunately, my friend reports the Red-shoulders appear to have
abandoned their nest in his back yard.  OTHO, this morning around 11:00
I was working on my front yard landscaping and witnessed two Hairy
Woodpeckers courting one another.  No actual copulation this time, but
lots of head bobbing and simultaneous wing flapping while sitting on a
branch together.  Later, around 4:00 PM, I was in the backyard with some
friends when we saw a Hairy (presumably the male from the morning),
wailing the heck out of the dogwood tree in my side yard (I only hope
the tree can survive the damage, given the precarious state of native
dogwoods).  On close inspection, the hole, which is a mere 4' or less
from the ground, is big enough for me to put my thumb in past the
knuckle -- about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half deep, and
with a three-inch circumferance.  I wish he'd picked just about any
other tree in which to build his nest, but now that he's chosen, all I
can do is watch the further progress and hope a viable brood at least
comes out of it.

Laura Appelbaum,
Cloverly, MD

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