Exciting Bird News!

I have nothing on the stitching front to share, but do have some exciting bird news.

Tuesday morning while puttering around on the Front Porch, I heard an usual sound.

When I zoomed in with my camera, I saw a couple of Acorn Woodpeckers atop a tall snag!  They chattered and flitted about the forest at a distance...

...but I was soon rewarded as they came closer to the Big Bird Feeder.

Notice how, like all woodpeckers, this one is using its tail for balance.

I counted  between 3 to 5 of them, though most often I saw just 2 or 3.  They were extremely active around the house all day Tuesday.

They have such unusual markings too - and are easy to identify in flight.

Some folks think they appear clownish with their dark beak and dark circles around their eyes.  They have very unusual vocalizations too, and sound nothing like other woodpeckers.  Take a listen to the "Typical Voice" here.  My neighbor thinks they sound like a flock of parrots.

Their behavior is parrot-like too.  They hang out in groups and communally raise their young in one nest.   

While they eat sap, seeds, nectar, and insects, acorns are an important part of their diet.  Once again, acting communally they work together to store acorns in one or more storage trees called granary trees.  These trees may have up to 50,000 holes - each storing one acorn!  They are territorial and will defend up to 15 acres surrounding their granary trees from other groups of Acorn Woodpeckers. 

Cool huh?  I am so hoping they have found a new home here.