Quite the Characters!

They got their name from their storing vast quantities of Acorns that they feed on throughout the year. Whole trees appear to have been shot up by machine gun fire, but upon closer examination, you find they are holes filled with Acorns. Living in the western oak forests, they are in a colony, each with separate duties, from guard to raising the young. They are continually talking to each other, continually, I wish I could understand them as it’s quite a conversation. At Madera Canyon, they keep up company as we photograph the hummingbirds. And at times when there is a shortage of water, they visit the feeders to drink. As you can see, the hummingbird feeder isn’t really made for a woodpecker, but they can get their tongue into the small slots as they hang on. They are fun to watch and photograph. The Acorn Woodpeckers are quite the characters.