This Spring in the Moses Wright Nature Area (a mini-preserve on the side of Dublin-Granville Rd. in Old Wrothington) I've witnessed 2 separate events that I've seen in the past but convinced myself my eyes were deceiving me. Now I'm sure. ONE: The Tale of the Mysterious Disappearance. I'd been watching a pair of blue gray gnatcatchers building their beautiful little nest--sort of like a giant hummingbird nest--high in a big old tree that hadn't yet leafed out. They appeared to be putting the finishing touches on it. Last time I went, expecting to see the female brooding on this masterpiece . . . it was GONE. Now, I know that male house wrens construct a number of make-shift nests to display to their wives, and I know that the wives reject these poor efforts but condescend to take one apart and rebuild it satisfactorily. But the gnatcatcher nest was a joint effort and appeared perfect. They didn't just abandon it--they totally disassembled it. What's up with that? TWO: A Tale of Forbidden Love. I witnessed an apparently consensual mating between a flicker (presumably female) and a male red-bellied woodpecker. Honest! Same thing happened in Greenlawn Cemetery a couple of years ago, but I never told anyone because I didn't believe it myself! Any explanations would be welcome. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth. --Rumi ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]