Rossmoor Retirement Community plans killing of Acorn Woodpeckers

by James K. Sayre

Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) are handsome, noisy and very charming birds that live in oak woodlands in California. They have extended family groups and in the spring, summer and autumn, they gather insects for themselves and to feed their young. They also gather and store acorns for a winter food supply. In recent years, much of their traditional oak tree woodland habitat in central Contra Costa County has been invaded by humans and transformed into housing developments, condos, roads, malls and office complexes.

Since the Acorn Woodpeckers have been losing their traditional oak granary-trees to human "progress," and being smart and inventive creatures, they have turned to using parts of houses as places to store their acorns for winter.

Rossmoor residents are primed to start killing Acorn Woodpeckers in a fruitless attempt to discourage new generations of birds from drilling holes in houses.

The developers of Rossmoor took hundreds of acres of prime oak woodlands, habitat of the Acorn Woodpeckers, and converted it into houses, roads, and golf courses. Woodpeckers, being smart and creative, finally discovered that new wooden structures (which we call houses) provided an excellent substitute for the old oak granary tree.

Instead of trying to kill off the woodpeckers, the residents of Rossmoor could provide some alternative acorn storage facilities, such as erecting some nice new un-chemically-treated telephone poles. Also, they could consider replacing part of their golf course with some native oak tree woodland.

 

 

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Web page last updated on 17 November 2008.