Woodpeckers: The Hole Story

Get an intimate look at what makes woodpeckers so special. Explore their unique abilities and intimate stories from around the world. Narrated by Paul Giamatti.

Acorn woodpeckers love to collect acorns and “tattoo” them into the holes they create in trees. Placing these acorns into trees helps this food last throughout the winter. But acorn woodpeckers aren't the only ones who love acorns, so they need to carefully watch their stash.

Black woodpeckers in Poland are elusive and have rarely been filmed. A pair of these large, imposing birds make a home in a beech tree, where they feed their hungry chicks.

Cinematographer Mark Carroll takes us up in a crane to show us how he was able to capture feeding and caching behavior at the Acorn Woodpecker’s eyeview at the Hastings Natural History preserve in Carmel California.

Producer Ann Johnson Prum and cinematographer Mark Carroll travel to western Poland to film the nest of the elusive Black Woodpecker. Working with local Biologist Romuald Mikusek they find a nest over 50 feet high. Using climbing gear Mark ascends the tree to mount cameras to film inside and outside the nest.