Nature's Return

Today, the Acorn Woodpeckers were back at the Magnolia feeder. It was not just the two, but four Woodpeckers. I think a group might be a bushel of Woodpeckers.  I have to laugh, because a bushel is really four pecks!  The busy Pecks, attracted a scold of the ever curious Steller’s Jays.  The more reclusive Woodpeckers soon vacated the area, leaving the Jays to dominate the Towhees and the Junco scratching below. The group names that I have been using, bushel for Woodpecker and scold for Jay are from my Mitch White Group, iBird West application.  I did a little sleuthing and found a couple of sites with different info. Bird Group Names and the visually pleasing Dereila Nature Inn Wow, maybe this means that I can go back to saying a covey of quail instead of a drift, flush, or shake!!!

Acorn Woodpeckers,

They have one of the most bizarre mating systems of any bird in the world. They are COOPERATIVE BREEDERS and live in groups composed of up to 6 COBREEDER MALES, 3 JOINT-NESTING FEMALES, and NONBREEDING HELPERS of both sexes.

And More!!! This from, Social Behavior of the Cooperatively Breeding Acorn Woodpecker What do you think of that?