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Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) Male photos by Larry Jordan
After the rains we had last week, I checked on the bird feeders and found some wet Nut and Fruit Mix in the woodpecker feeder so I emptied it into the tray feeder for whoever might want it and filled the woodpecker feeder with fresh food.
I went back to working on the other chores needing to be done around the house (you know how that goes) until I heard a raucous going on in the yard. Four Acorn Woodpeckers had dive bombed and chased a Western Gray Squirrel away from the tray feeder.
This is what the squirrel looked like when it was eating out of the tray feeder daily last May (click on photos for full sized images).
By the time I saw what was going on, the squirrel had high tailed it far from the bird feeders and the Acorn Woodpeckers had taken over the tray feeder.
There were several woodpeckers at the feeder so I grabbed my camera and took a chore break to catch some of the action on film. As I watched the woodpeckers, they were taking mostly peanuts (like the female pictured above) and transporting them to the nearby rocks to stash them for later.
To see Acorn Woodpeckers stash acorns is not unusual around here. There are plenty of granary trees in the vicinity where acorns are constantly being stored and monitored buy the woodpecker community, but I had never seen them stashing food in the crevices of rock formations.
It was fun watching them go back and forth from the feeder to the rocks and seemingly search the rocks for places to store their treasure.
I never saw the squirrel come back to the feeder that day. The Acorn Woodpeckers dominated that food source.
If you want to see more great bird photos from around the world, go check out Springman’s World Bird Wednesday! And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return. Thanks for the visit!
For the second year Nature Conservancy is asking folks to gift responsibly. This Cyber Monday, give a gift that’s good for the planet. Click on the logo above to sign the pledge to gift responsibly this year. There are so many ways you can do this and Nature Conservancy has several ideas on their website.
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Hen with Poults photo by Larry Jordan
A Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hen protecting her poults in my yard a couple of years ago. Relax mama, no danger of getting shot on my property!
So many things to be thankful for. Family, friends and the amazing wild creatures we enjoy on this planet.
Let’s all strive to embrace and save the wilderness we still have on Earth. Don’t allow politicians to threaten wild places! Support organizations like the Nature Conservancy!
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) photo by Larry Jordan
You can see my latest West Coast Beat Writer post on the Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) over at 10000 Birds! It includes a cool video of this bird taking a bath at Arcata Marsh. I think you will enjoy it!
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) photos by Larry Jordan
I came across a mixed flock of American and Lesser Goldfinches a couple of weeks ago foraging in the pastures along the roadside. They were feeding on the Yellow Star Thistle and other weeds that dot the pastures in the fall. Click on photos for full sized images.
It looks like the two birds in non-breeding plumage at the bottom of the photo above are a female, on the left, and a male, on the right. Both sexes look similar to the female in breeding plumage this time of year, except their bills are dark rather than the bright orange during breeding months.
The American Goldfinch is almost exclusively a seed eater, even when feeding nestlings, suggesting that they are well adapted to obtaining all their protein requirements from a seed diet1.
As you can see, they are very adept at foraging for seeds of many varieties.
The difference in breeding and non-breeding plumage of the American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) is striking. The bright yellow plumage and orange beak coloration are derived from carotenoid pigments acquired from their diet1.
This is the male American Goldfinch on my Nyjer seed feeder in April.
As with other finches, the female American Goldfinch prefers to mate with the most brightly colored males, helping to ensure that they have the best foraging partners. A month later in May, you can see the bright orange bills have been attained by both the male and female.
If you want to see more great bird photos from around the world, go check out Springman’s World Bird Wednesday! And while you’re here, if you use Google Friend Connect, please consider joining my website via the widget in the right hand column of my blog and I will join yours in return. Thanks for the visit!
