Acorn Woodpecker
This bird is common in the mixed oak-pine forests of Southern California mountains. Usually traveling in small groups they noisily announce their arrival. Different than many woodpeckers, their primary reason for drilling holes in dead trees is not looking for insects; it rather to stuff the holes with acorns. Not unusual to find a dead tree with literally thousands of acorns stuffed into holes. Because of this and the inevitable loss of many of these acorns these birds are very important in the spread of the acorn seeds away from the parent tree.
This bird could hear the camera shutter clicking; hence the “stare-down” pose.
Country United States
State California
Location Mixed oak-pine forests at an altitude of 5000 feet in the coastal range of San Diego County.
Gender Unknown
Age Adult
Activity Feeding in the Wild, In or By Water
- Created Timestamp11/18/2019 07:59:14
- CameraCanon EOS 5D Mark IV
- Aperture5.6
- Focal Length700
- Iso1250
- Shutter Speed1/250
- Orientation1
Thanks for the informative description – now I know how they got their name. This one looks like it has a Santa hat on.
great shot!
Thank you. I have lots of woodpecker pictures but most of them are “back” shots. It is nice to get a side or frontal view for a change. This bird was part of a small flock that was visiting a small spring on the side of a hill. I had a photo blind set up so the flock came close and did not seem too perturbed.
Very nice photo.