Acorn Woodpecker, Sunol Regional Wilderness

Wow, I can really see how this bird got its name!!  There were four Acorn Woodpeckers busy pecking holes in this tree and filling them with their stash.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds site… “Their social lives are endlessly fascinating: they store thousands of acorns each year by jamming them into specially made holes in trees. A group member is always on alert to guard the hoard from thieves, while others race through the trees giving parrotlike waka-waka calls.”

Truly fascinating!

Photos taken November 10th, 2012

Sunol Regional Wilderness

15 Comments

  1. Planting Potatoes says:

    love and admire these beautiful, hard working birds!

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      It’s so interesting that they’ve developed a unique social structure to protect their stash. I do love and admire them!

      Like

      1. Planting Potatoes says:

        amen..God is providing for them…but he doesn’t put the food in their nests….. 🙂

        Like

  2. Stephanie says:

    Love this story – my kids delight in listening to the woodpeckers in Don Falls!

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      I love the sound of woodpeckers, too. They’re so busy!

      Like

  3. henrymowry says:

    Absolutely fabulous photo essay.

    Like

  4. mmtread says:

    I guess the answer to my last question is.. YES! Very, very cool. Thanks for sharing.

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      I thought you’d appreciate it! 🙂

      Like

  5. Alex Jones says:

    I wonder what the squirrels think of all this?

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      Exactly what I was thinking! These birds must spend a lot of energy protecting their stash from squirrels.

      Like

  6. badwalker says:

    Quite a storage system. Something for the hall entrance.

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      Hahaha! 🙂

      Like

  7. LuAnn says:

    I love how these woodpeckers redesign trees. 🙂

    Like

    1. A Nature Mom says:

      Interesting, isn’t it?

      Like

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