h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've been sorely missing your excellent articles and illustrations.

The woodpecker I'm best acquainted with: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_woodpecker#Breeding_communities

This one is among the most arboreal of the woodpeckers, given to creating stupendous granaries* by means of pecking holes in host trees like the native California sycamore and the Central Coast giant valley oak** and filling them with acorns.

A mature Central Coast giant oak is in the 'big trees' class, typically over a hundred feet in height and up to ten feet in diameter.

I've seen a tree in that size range pecked to within 14 feet of the ground by an acorn woodpecker excavating holes to store its acorns and exploring for grubs which often get started from the birds' granary.

Native american lore, with the Cahuilla Indians oak groves, mesquite and California fan palms are usually treated proprietarily, with the exception that woodpecker trees belonged to whomever discovered them.




*http://www.google.com/search?q=acorn+woodpecker+granary%2C+images&oq=acorn+woodpecker+granary%2C+images&aqs=chrome..69i57.26402j0j4&client=tablet-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

**http://www.nancykoren.com/gallery/photo/Two_Giant_Valle_Oaks

Hello! Thanks very much for this message, I am very appreciative of being appreciated! I know of Acorn Woodpeckers of course, though I haven't seen one. I don't think I've ever seen a woodpecker in a zoo. But we have quite a few different species over here, though they're all quite small and not very conspicuous and don't hoard seeds or nuts like these do!