I think a majority of people enjoy co-existing with wildlife and even getting to see it up close and personal whenever animals decide to wander near to our homes.
That said, I don’t think anyone would be thrilled to play host to not only a handful of woodpeckers, but their stash of winter nuts as well.
Pest control expert Nick Castro (Nick’s Extreme Pest Control) from Santa Rosa, CA, discovered the stockpile after being called out to check out an issue with mealworms.
Image Credit: Facebook
“Bird was a bit of a hoarder,” Castro joked as he scooped out handfuls of nuts.
The pile weighed 700 pounds after he’d bagged it up (8 trash bags full) and hauled it away.
Image Credit: Facebook
Though he’d never seen anything exactly like it, Castro figures the cache of acorns was around 20-25 feet high in the chimney, and that the pair of woodpeckers had been working on it for at least two years.
“The more acorns I pulled out from the wall, the more there were. It felt like it wasn’t going to end.”
Castro said he discarded the nuts, which were covered in fiberglass and rat droppings.
The internet felt pretty bad for the birds, who–according to one commenter–were “more prepared for retirement than I am.”
Usually acorn woodpeckers choose dead trees for storing their food, and hopefully these two have learned a (very hard) lesson.