Acorn Woodpeckers - Family Feeding and Housekeeping!

 I have another video of some Acorn Woodpeckers with some interesting behaviors.  At the 0:17 mark, there are three adults bringing food to the nest.  They live in family groups of up to a dozen or more individuals, and they cooperate in raising young. I also noticed that they sometimes fly out of the nest with something white in their beaks.  You can see this at 1:03 and 1:12.  When an acorn woodpecker chick eats food delivered by one of its parents, it conveniently produces a “fecal sac” a few seconds later. The adult bird just has to wait a few seconds for the sac to emerge and then, out of the nest it goes.  Good housekeeping!

Acorn Woodpecker, Going and Coming Back

 Here is a short video of an Acorn Woodpecker going away and coming back to the nest.

Acorn Woodpeckers and Their Nest

 A pair of Acorn Woodpeckers have made a nest in the dead bloom stalk of the Agave Salmiana.  Today I watched two birds fly up to the stalk and go into the nest.

Acorn Woodpecker in an Agave Salmiana

Cactus Sulcorebutia Rauschii

I was in a nursery a few months ago and this sulcorebutia rauschii cactus caught my eye.  No blooms yet, but it has grown a new tubercle.  This is a small cactus in a 4" pot and the largest tubercle is about 1 3/8" diameter.  I like how the dark spines lay flat against the tubercle.

sulcorebutia rauschii

sulcorebutia rauschii

sulcorebutia rauschii

Epiphyllum Time!

 It's the first Epiphyllum bloom of the season!

Epiphyllum

Epiphyllum

Epipphyllum blooming among the bromeliads, ferns, tillandsia, succulents, orchids and a begonia!

Hooded Oriole Nest

 Due to some necessary tree trimming, Mike had to cut down the branch that supported last years Oriole nest.  The female of a Hooded Oriole pair, made this hanging nest (built of grass and plant fibers) in a Ficus branch.  It was protected by being underneath the structure where we park our cars.  Normally Hooded Orioles will build their hanging nest in a palm tree, under a palm frond.  They rarely reuse a nest from the previous year, but will take parts of an old nest to build a new one.  I was surprised to see how clean the inside of the nest was, no poop or feathers!  I'll leave this old nest near a feeder so that parts can be reused for a new nest.

Hooded Oriole Nest

Hooded Oriole Nest

Hooded Oriole Nest

Male Orioles

 So far this spring, I have only seen male Hooded Orioles at the Oriole Feeders.  And of course hummingbirds!

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird