For those of you who are familiar with California birds you might realize that Walt Koenig, who studied the Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) at the UC Hastings Natural History Reservation, did his PhD work on this species. Walt is considered the "guru" of Acorn Woodpecker behavior and biology, and is the co-author of the book "Acorn Woodpecker" published in 1995.
When Walt visited the UC - Hopland Research & Extension Center for the first time to gather acorn production data, his comment was, "My God ... I thought that Hastings had a lot of Acorn Woodpeckers!". HREC definitely has one of the most dense populations of this species that can be found anywhere.
Rather unique in the bird world, this species lives in communal groups called "clans" and has evolved rather unique social behavior habits to survive such as communal storage of acorns for food (called granaries) and cooperative raising of young. Here you see one on the HREC office sign ... part of the welcoming committee for visitors to HREC.
