Storm-Petrel
registered dude
Where i am in the pine forests of ruidoso, NM, the most common woodpecker is the Acoen Woodpecker. I see about 5 a day. I have always wondered why they are so common if there arent any oaks around. This morning I was birding on the mountainside, and i saw 2 of the woodpeckers in a tree. I watched them for awhile, and then noticed all the bark that had fallen off the tree on the ground. All of it was hammered with woodpecker holes. I thought id look through the chunks of bark and holes to see if i could figure out what the ACWO were storing. I looked around a bit and saw tiny cones stuffed in the holes. They werent pine cones, but much smaller and softer. After I looked around some more i saw something else besides the cones: round, greenish-brown blobs. It was deer poo. I pryed one out of the woopecker hole and broke it open, and it was full of plant material. defenitely deer poop. Why would the woodpeckers be storing deer poop? did they mistake it for seeds or do they just think its a tasty food, like our junk food?