|
|
Thomas Quinn
The words used to describe the works of regional artist Thomas Quinn include sense of dignity, intimacy, elegance, and simplicity are a clue to the awards his paintings have earned and the inclusion of so many of his paintings in museums and private collections. But it is the inclusion of these works in the collections of ornithologists and naturalists that verify how accurately they capture birds and other wildlife in their ecological setting. The artist lives in Pt. Reyes Station, California.
While Red-tailed Hawks rely on rodents for more than 85 percent of their diet, they supplement it with birds, reptiles and insects. And, while Acorn Woodpeckers actively defend acorn caches from raiding squirrels, jays, titmice, etc., (which also store acorns) they are at risk to predation.
Acorn Woodpecker reproduction is highly dependent on the size of the acorn crop. Studies indicate that annual fluctuations in woodpecker numbers relate to the diversity of oaks in an area rather than to the number of acorn-producing trees. (Crop failure of one species in a given year is supplemented by alternative sources.)
Stanford has some 6,500 oaks, including Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), Valley Oak (Q. lobata), Red Oak (Q. rubra), Blue Oak (Q. douglasii), Pin Oak (Q. palustris), Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea), Holly Oak (Q. ilex), Kellogg Oak (Q. kelloggii), Cork Oak (Q. suber) and Southern Live Oak (Q. virginiana). Not surprisingly, the campus is home to a sizable woodpecker population and woodland-loving red-tails. |
|
