Representatives of Audubon California today expressed deep disappointment that their latest round of talks with Rossmoor homeowner groups had failed to dissuade the resident boards from their plans to shoot up to 50 Acorn Woodpeckers in an attempt to prevent the birds from drilling holes in the homes for their granaries. Now that extensive talks on non-lethal methods have proven unsuccessful, Audubon California is calling for revocation of the homeowners’ USFWS permit to shoot Acorn Woodpeckers.
Word was received late yesterday that one of the two homeowner group boards had voted to go ahead with the shooting, despite offers from Audubon California, Mt. Diablo Audubon Society and other experts to lend their expertise to the problem. The second homeowner board agreed to test non-lethal options but evidently will not agree to a permanent moratorium on shooting.
“We’re incredibly disappointed that the boards of the Rossmoor homeowner groups have elected to proceed with this utterly pointless exercise,” said Graham Chisholm, director of conservation for Audubon California. “We’ve offered them substantial assistance if they promise to call off the shooting, but apparently they’ve elected to choose this strategy that is certain to fail.”
Immediately after learning in November that the Rossmoor groups had obtained a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill up to 50 Acorn Woodpeckers, Audubon California and the Mt. Diablo Audubon Society immediately offered to help find ways to avoid the killings. In a series of discussions that included woodpecker experts and representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the conservation groups not only presented clear scientific reasons why the shooting would be ineffectual, but also offered substantial resources to help the homeowners solve the problem with non-lethal methods.
“At this point, we’re calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revoke the permit they’ve issued to the Rossmoor groups,” said Chisholm. “It’s obvious to everyone now that the permit was issued using faulty assumptions and that it is biologically flawed as it relates to the Rossmoor situation. Moreover, the homeowners clearly have not tried every non-lethal remedy, as their permit requires.”
Acorn Woodpeckers are a fairly common and beloved bird in California. The highly social bird is known to store food in large communal granaries drilled in oaks or other woodland trees. As housing developments, such as the ones in Rossmoor, have encroached into these woodlands, the creative birds have been known to drill their holes in buildings.
“Experts have told us clearly that in rich habitat such as where these developments are located, there is always an abundance of mating pairs looking for openings to establish themselves,” said Mt. Diablo Audubon Society President Jimm Edgar. “What this means is that if you shoot 50 Acorn Woodpeckers, you’ll probably see 50 new ones take their place within an hour.”
Edgar said that he still holds out hope that the Rossmoor groups will set aside their plans to bring in a hunter to kill the woodpeckers and accept the support that his organization and others have offered.
“Acorn Woodpeckers are very popular among bird enthusiasts,” he said. “They are very social birds that fill an important role in the landscape. Nobody wants to see them killed for just doing what they do.”
