Gathering acorns

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Gathering acorns

December 11, 2015 by Mike Powell

As winter approaches, squirrels are not the only creatures gathering and storing acorns. Red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) also cache acorns in crevices of trees for consumption at a later point in time. Recently these beautiful birds seemed really busy and I was happy to capture some photos of one of them in action.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, gathering acorns, Huntley Meadows Park, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, Red-headed Woodpecker, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on December 11, 2015 at 4:32 am | Reply dianaed2013

Yes they are lovely and so well photographed (as usual)
- on December 11, 2015 at 4:52 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Diana. The sunshine and blue skies helped to enhance their beauty for me.
on December 11, 2015 at 5:25 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Beautiful shots. I wonder if we’ll ever solve the mystery of how they find all those hidden acorns.
on December 11, 2015 at 10:45 am | Reply Sally Morris

How fortunate you are to capture these priceless pictures for all of us to see!
on December 11, 2015 at 2:33 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Wonderful detail, I to love the light you captured.
on December 11, 2015 at 6:10 pm | Reply Sue

Another Redhead! Such a gorgeous bird.
- on December 12, 2015 at 12:47 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. I have been having some really good fortune recently in spotting Red-headed Woodpeckers and in actually getting some shots.
on December 12, 2015 at 11:04 pm | Reply Ginny Alfano

Beautiful photographs, Mike. I really enjoyed them. You are very fortunate to have them in your area – they are rare here in northern NY. Every now and then someone will report seeing one, but it’s not very often. Years ago they were much more prevalent. Thank you for sharing them!