News Pix: Acorn Woodpeckers in Bay Area Lowlands and Election Shake-ups

In the first major ballot test of how California voters would react to hydraulic fracturing, two counties in California approved fracking bans on Tuesday. Opponents of fracking are hoping the movement will spread to other counties. But a measure to bar the controversial oil production technique in Santa Barbara County — where the oil industry is well-established — fell short. And in San Benito and Mendocino Counties, where the bans passed, they are likely to face court challenges. (Gabriela Quiros/KQED)

Mike Honda thanks his campaign staff for their work on the closest of his eight congressional races. The campaign organized a watch party Tuesday night at Zahir's Bistro in Milpitas. (Jay Lee/Peninsula Press)

The polls at the University Lutheran Church in Palo Alto saw a rush in the last half-hour before they closed at 8 p.m. Signs lined the hallway and lawn leading up to the
voting station. (Austin Meyer/Peninsula Press)

Here in the Bay Area, Acorn Woodpecker colonies are fairly common in the East Bay hills and the western slopes of Mount Diablo, particularly where there are concentrations of valley oaks, but are practically unheard of west of the Hayward Fault. This year there have been several sightings in the lowlands, most likely due to acorn crop failure. (Larry and Dena Hollowood/Berkeleyside)