Birds do some odd things. They seem to know what they are doing. The odd things that they do make sense. Nonetheless, some of what they do out there is just plain odd.
I mean, who was the first woodpecker who thought it might be a good idea to bang his head against a tree? What prompted the first sapsucker woodpecker to bore through bark of a healthy tree to lap up the sap from the cambium within? Why do other woodpeckers bore into rotting dead trees for grubs, and to make nests? The different types of woodpeckers seem to be related, but they are after different things. Did one just accidentally bore into the wrong sort of tree, and discover something more than what was expected?
Various species of woodpeckers are surprisingly omnivorous. Those who eat termites also eat other insects, nuts, acorns, berries and fruit. Sapsuckers also eat insects, berries, small nuts and such.
Many woodpeckers are social, and live in significant communities. Those who bore into dead tree tops to nest prefer to live where there are several dead trees tops to bore into, probably because too many nests in the same tree would compromise the structural integrity of the already decaying trunk. Besides, if they all lived in the same dead tree, they would all become homeless at the same time if the tree fell down.
Colonies of some species of woodpecker store nuts or acorns in rotting dead trees. They can store quite a bit in each tree because the holes bored to hold the individual nuts and acorns are not as big as the holes that they nest in, so do not compromise the integrity of the trees as much. Besides, it is easier to defend many acorns and nuts in a few trees than it is to defend them in many trees. Squirrels who want the same acorns and nuts are very sneaky!
The problem with putting all their eggs in the same basket, or all their acorns in a few trees, is that when one of such trees falls, it takes a significant portion of their stored nuts and acorns with it. Once on the ground, it is impossible for them to defend it from squirrels and rats.
This particular rotting ponderosa pine fell and needed to be removed from the roadway that it fell onto before woodpeckers could recover the acorns that they so dutifully stored in it. The precision with which the holes were carved to custom fit each acorn that they hold is impressive. The woodpeckers who did this really know how to manage their pantry.
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Tony Tomeo 
Quite unintentionally, you started my morning with a laugh-out-loud laugh. Your post reminded me of a video I saved, some time ago. The title says it’s a squirrel, but it actually was a woodpecker who did the deed. Enjoy!
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OH MY! THAT IS CRAZY! I would guess that the woodpecker was putting them in the hole in the cover, but because each acorn just fell inside and out of sight, he or she just kept adding more. Do you know where Bear Creek Road is? There is one not too far from here.
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I found it. It’s the Bear Creek Road just a little north and east of Springville, CA, and due east of Tulare, just into the Sequoia national forest.
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Oh, I should have recognized it. I know exactly where that is. There is a Bear Creek Road here between Boulder Creek and Los Gatos too.
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What an interesting post! I see this kind of “pantry” often in the woodlands. I always suspected squirrels, but the woodpecker would certainly make sense too.
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Squirrels get into them when they can, but the woodpeckers are pretty efficient at protecting them.
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GREAT POST! There are several species of woodpeckers here on the farm and I always enjoy watching them. Some can get quite loud. One used to come to my bedroom window and look in at me.
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Yes, the can be obnoxious, like the cartoon character ‘Woody Woodpecker’.
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Great post and loved the photos. I suspect the woodpeckers who “squirreled” away the acorns had another stash or two the feed from.
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II really do not know. Woodpeckers are often very active around fallen trees with acorns in them, as if they are moving their acorns to another tree and defending them from squirrels at the same time. There were NO woodpeckers around when this tree was being cleared from the roadway.
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I love woodpeckers. They’re interesting, like crows, and will study you. I have never seen anything like these acorns (or that other thing with the microwave tower–wow!) though.
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Woodpeckers can be obnoxiously loud though. They squawk constantly!
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Birds are always talking.
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And some yell!
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Reblogged this on Tony Tomeo and commented:
Does anyone remember Woody Woodpecker? He was none to bright, but was famously annoying.
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