By Cambria Wells, Wildlife Technician

Acorn Woodpecker Nestlings
Photo by Cambria Wells

In early July, a Mimosa tree in Newbury Park cracked open, half the tree splitting apart at weak points created by years of Woodpecker activity. The homeowners had been expecting just such a thing to happen eventually; it had been assessed for removal in previous years but their affection for their local Woodpecker colony, which nested in the tree year after year, had driven them to keep the tree as long as they could. One such nest came down when the tree broke, dropping four naked, blind little nestling Acorn Woodpeckers into the sage planted below. Thanks to this soft landing and shade, the four babies were alive when the homeowners responded, collecting them and bringing them to California Wildlife Center for evaluation.

The Broken Tree Limb
by Cambria Wells

Though the Woodpeckers were uninjured, their home tree was still unstable and needed to be trimmed to prevent the destruction of a second nest in the tree. After fluid therapy and the initiation of feedings every thirty minutes, the four nestlings settled in for a hopefully temporary stay in an incubator at CWC. They proved to be excellent eaters with a very strict “pecking order” and regained their strength quickly. Four days later, with the Mimosa tree carefully trimmed to save the Woodpecker colony’s other nest, staff from California Wildlife Center responded to attempt to reunite the Woodpecker nestlings with their parents. The homeowners had observed four Woodpeckers providing food to another nest in the tree. In the absence of their own babies, it’s likely that the parents of the rescued Woodpeckers had turned to assisting their family members in the care of another nest.

The Woodpeckers as Fledglings
Photo by Cambria Wells

Tree trimmers had saved the portion of the branch which contained the original nest, so CWC staff used heavy-duty straps to close the log and mount it on the Mimosa tree, as close to the original branch location as possible. The four rescued Woodpeckers were given copious amounts of food and water by mouth, then placed back in the nest cavity via the entry hole created by their parents. Unfortunately, despite the begging of the nestlings, they were not recognized by their family, and their parents did not approach to feed or care for them. Acorn Woodpeckers are highly territorial and family-oriented; the three days it took for the area to become safe to return the babies and the change in location of the nest were likely the reason the nestlings were not accepted back.

The Woodpeckers in Their Outside Enclosure
Photo by Denys Hemen

Luckily for the nestlings, they had a warm welcome waiting at California Wildlife Center. Staff extracted the four babies from the log and brought them back into care. Several weeks later they are all thriving fledglings, now fully feathered and able to fly, hop, and use their amazing bills and tongues like adults. They have been united with a foster family of five other individually orphaned Woodpeckers. Once all are self-feeding, this summer’s nine Acorn Woodpecker siblings will be moved to an outdoor enclosure to condition for soft-release in the oak forests of the Santa Monica mountains. There they will be fed and protected until they can integrate with a colony and be safely released.