Morning Sun

(Acorn Woodpecker)

I’ve always liked woodpeckers. At home in St. Louis while growing up, the occasional Red-Headed Woodpecker would peck at the maple outside my bedroom window. I liked their industry. I liked their laugh-like calls and their contrasting red, black, and white colors.

Two-thousand miles and a lifetime away, I met Acorn Woodpeckers. They’re amazing aerialists and very social—frequently living in groups of 4-6. If you can imagine tall oaks, evergreens, and even palm trees drilled and poked over every square inch until they are entirely implanted with acorns, then you can imagine the work product of these American wonders. At any time during the year, even when the cold obliterates other food sources, a tasty snack is always in reach for these birds.

This one was sitting atop a scrub-oak branch just down the street from us in Klamath Falls where they are considered rare. A member of a clan that is constant at this location, it was preening and fluffing its feathers to stay warm on this cold morning, waiting for the first bright rays of light to march over the hill. It stopped only to stare at me as I aimed my camera. Click!