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In this series of photos, a house finch is enamored with its reflection in the AI bird feeder camera. But a hungry cardinal grows impatient with the posing and shoos the finch away, only to catch its own image in the camera lens.

Small bluebird (right) arrives at the AI feeder and promptly orders larger female cardinal to leave (which it does). This bluebird is part of a couple that has lost two broods this season. Understandably, it is quite territorial. Hopefully, its current incubating brood will be successful and fledge come August.

How many Acorn Woodpeckers can fit into one Pyrex dish birdbath? Link to close-up photo observation of the woodpecker’s tongue: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/189914662

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a small woodpecker, 23cm (9 inches) long, with strong claws, short legs, and stiff tail feathers. Male has larger red cap at crown than female. They are sociable birds, generally found in small, vocal colonies of 2-12 birds. In the fall they drill small holes into tree trunks (or telephone poles) and pound an acorn into each hole for their winter food supply. Colonies use the same "granary tree" year after year. They are often found in California Oak woodlands.

"These colorful natives live in large groups in western oak woodlands where they consistently store thousands of acorns in trees helped by their fascinating social dynamics. Family groups hold territories, and one member is always on alert to guard the hoard from thieves while others race through the trees giving parrot-like waka-waka calls that serve as alerts and warnings for competitors to stay away. The family groups span generations, as young woodpeckers stay with their parents for several years to help raise more clutches. All members of an acorn Woodpecker family group spend much of their time storing acorns in a granary tree, which may see up to 50,000 holes."
From Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History website.

Irene's Woodpecker observations, worldwide: (I love woodpeckers!) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=17599&user_id=aparrot1&verifiable=any

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/acorn-woodpecker

Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map of Acorn Woodpecker: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Melanerpes-formicivorus

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp.306-307.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 245-245.

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, p. 304.

E Bird https://ebird.org/explore and https://ebird.org/species/acowoo/

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ (enter common name) and https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker

An excellent book-- (The) Monterey Pine Forest: Coastal California's Living Legacy, 2nd. ed, The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, 2018, p. 17.

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) an aquatic diving bird in the Cormorants and Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) family. Conservation Status: Vulnerable (S3) in California.
Neck appears kinked in flight. Large, rounded throat pouch is yellow-orange year-round. Eyes often appear blue. Breeding adults have a wispy, white crest, a tuft of feathers curving back from behind the eyes. This dark, long-bodied diving bird floats low in the water with its neck and bill raised. It is often seen standing upright near water with wings spread out to dry. It is larger and has a shorter tail than the Neotropic Cormorant.
The Double-crested cormorant is the most widely distributed cormorant in North America, and the only one likely to be seen inland, even in the desert near bodies of water. At the coast, Double-crested Cormorants tend to nest in trees, unlike Brandt's Cormorants which nest in mud impressions on offshore rocks, and Pelagic Cormorants which nest in sides of cliffs.

E Bird https://ebird.org/explore and https://ebird.org/species/doccor/

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/double-crested-cormorant

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017. pp. 252-253.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, p. 88-89.

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, p. 108

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ (enter common name) and https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant

Bird songs and sound recordings from around the world: https://xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Phalacrocorax%20auritus

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php