Woodpecker and the Squirrel

While on a hike the other day, I heard an unmistakable ruckus ahead. It was a group of acorn woodpeckers. These charismatic birds are funny both in appearance and behavior. They will form tribes which defend territory and cache sometimes thousands of acorns, each contained within it’s own tiny, perfectly-shaped hole of a dead tree. These food stores often sate them through lean times, such as winter. This particular family was in trouble, as a squirrel had discovered their larders. Every time the squirrel would attempt to pluck an acorn from it’s hole, he / she would get dive-bombed by alternating woodpeckers defending their food. The squirrel would sprint for an acorn and rush for cover (the crook of two tree limbs), attempting to evade the relentless birds. This went on for over 10 minutes before the squirrel, content and no doubt eager for stress reduction moved along and the woodpeckers inspected their losses.