Woodpeckers want to build a nest in the siding! Deja Vu

D

Damaged Goods

Member
Location
Maryland
My house has cedar siding. For the past two weeks, a woodpecker of unknown species has been drilling as his mate supervises. They want to build a nest in the siding. Fortunately, I’m home most of the time to chase them away, but it’s an exhaustive waste of time.

This same thing happened in 1978 when the house was two years old. That time the culprit was a woodpecker known commonly as a red-shafted flicker. Unfortunately, because we were still working, the pests had most of the day to do their damage with impunity. When we’d get home, there was a large hole.

I tried all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to discourage this behavior but the only thing that worked was a shotgun blast. There was collateral damage from the blast to my eaves but the main problem was eliminated. Or so I thought.

The next day his mate was drilling at the site and the following day, she was sitting in the hole using my house insulation as part of her nest. Again, the shotgun was necessary.

Gunfire wouldn’t work today because my upper extremities are crippled with musculoskeletal impairments and I’m unable to lift a long gun to the proper position.

Guess I should feel fortunate that more than 40 years elapsed between incidents.
 

Knight said:
Do you have a hose & hose connection close enough to be kind enough to give them a daily bath or two?
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I'd have to hook up about six hoses and my hands aren't up to the task, and they take off so quickly as soon as they see or hear you. But that would have been a good idea in 1978 when she was sitting in the nest and maybe it wouldn't have been necessary to shoot. Didn't think of that option unfortunately.
 

Damaged Goods said:
No, I let them wreck my house.
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If you have wood siding on your house, and the woodpeckers are "drilling" into it, you may have termites, or some other bugs setting up camp in your siding. Woodpeckers peck away at wood when they find some insects. You might want to call an exterminator, and have your siding checked out. If termites infest your wood, you Will have a lot more problems than just a woodpecker...in fact, the woodpeckers may be doing you a favor, with an "early warning".
 
No. As I explained, they were drilling for a nesting site as evidenced by the single large hole, just as they did in 1978 when the female was actually sitting in the hole. When they peck for insects, there are multiple small holes.
 
My woodpecker problem was a big aggressive male who decided that frequent pecking on the metal vent pipe atop my roof was an excellent method of advertising his "magnificent studliness" to the resident females while alerting any males in the area that this was his territory.

Male woodpeckers are highly territorial and will chase off other males who are encroaching. They attract the ladies with their studly rapping, which apparently is ever so much more attractive than anything the ladies can produce.

The annoyance was that pecking on the vent pipe made the whole house sound like you were in a dryer full of ball bearings. I was babysitting my boss's little yap dogs and every time the woodpecker would rat-a-TAT-TAT on the pipe, they'd go crazy. I would go out and turn the hose on him. After a while, back he'd come.

Thankfully, after a while he apparently had done enough chest-pounding and had found a nice girl to settle down with and my house was quiet again.
 
We get them too jujube. It IS most annoying. We had one this spring start with our neighbours on the right. My husband and I chuckled glad it wasn’t us but early in the morning when sounds travels, it’s still most annoying. About two weeks later he started on our satellite pole and later the gutter. It was at the front of the house and I badgered him until he left. They are VERY persistent.

The next morning we heard him banging on the next neighbourhoods gutter. Its sooo loud. It’s not something one can easily ignore.
 
Another paper, Assessment of Management Techniques to Reduce Woodpecker Damage to Homes, tested six common long-term woodpecker deterrents: life-sized plastic owls with paper wings, reflective streamers, plastic eyes strung on fishing line, roost boxes, suet feeders, and a sound system which broadcasts woodpecker distress calls followed by the call of a hawk. Researchers found that nothing deterred woodpeckers all the time, and only the streamers worked with any consistency.

Homeowners have reported some success deterring woodpeckers with windsocks, pinwheels, helium balloons (shiny, bright Mylar balloons are especially effective), strips of aluminum foil, or reflective tape. Other people keep woodpeckers away by covering an affected area with burlap or attaching bird netting (the kind designed for gardens and fruit trees) from overhanging eaves to the siding. If you use netting, make sure it is taut and set at least 3 inches from the siding to avoid birds pecking through it. Close off openings on the sides to prevent birds from becoming trapped between the netting and the house.


You may also want to plug the holes with wood putty to discourage further activity. If a woodpecker has dug a roost hole into your house, make sure there are no birds inside before sealing it up.


Never use any sticky “repellent,” such as Tanglefoot Pest Control, Roost-No-More, or Bird Stop, outdoors. These types of products can fatally injure birds and other animals.

iu
 
Damaged Goods said:
My house has cedar siding. For the past two weeks, a woodpecker of unknown species has been drilling as his mate supervises. They want to build a nest in the siding. Fortunately, I’m home most of the time to chase them away, but it’s an exhaustive waste of time.

This same thing happened in 1978 when the house was two years old. That time the culprit was a woodpecker known commonly as a red-shafted flicker. Unfortunately, because we were still working, the pests had most of the day to do their damage with impunity. When we’d get home, there was a large hole.

I tried all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to discourage this behavior but the only thing that worked was a shotgun blast. There was collateral damage from the blast to my eaves but the main problem was eliminated. Or so I thought.

The next day his mate was drilling at the site and the following day, she was sitting in the hole using my house insulation as part of her nest. Again, the shotgun was necessary.

Gunfire wouldn’t work today because my upper extremities are crippled with musculoskeletal impairments and I’m unable to lift a long gun to the proper position.

Guess I should feel fortunate that more than 40 years elapsed between incidents.
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have you given any thought to getting a couple pieces of lumber around brick size and stepping out and smacking them together? this worked on some other birds once. wouldn't be as heavy or dangerous.
 
RadishRose said:
Another paper, Assessment of Management Techniques to Reduce Woodpecker Damage to Homes, tested six common long-term woodpecker deterrents: life-sized plastic owls with paper wings, reflective streamers, plastic eyes strung on fishing line, roost boxes, suet feeders, and a sound system which broadcasts woodpecker distress calls followed by the call of a hawk. Researchers found that nothing deterred woodpeckers all the time, and only the streamers worked with any consistency.

Homeowners have reported some success deterring woodpeckers with windsocks, pinwheels, helium balloons (shiny, bright Mylar balloons are especially effective), strips of aluminum foil, or reflective tape. Other people keep woodpeckers away by covering an affected area with burlap or attaching bird netting (the kind designed for gardens and fruit trees) from overhanging eaves to the siding. If you use netting, make sure it is taut and set at least 3 inches from the siding to avoid birds pecking through it. Close off openings on the sides to prevent birds from becoming trapped between the netting and the house.


You may also want to plug the holes with wood putty to discourage further activity. If a woodpecker has dug a roost hole into your house, make sure there are no birds inside before sealing it up.


Never use any sticky “repellent,” such as Tanglefoot Pest Control, Roost-No-More, or Bird Stop, outdoors. These types of products can fatally injure birds and other animals.

iu
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Thanks for your thoughtful, detailed reply. I tried a no. of gizmos -- certainly not all of these -- as recommended and sold by hardware and building supply store workers and none at that time -- 1978 -- worked.
 
Damaged Goods said:
Wonder how the moonbat legislators would react to the same problem. Walk a mile in my shoes.
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I also gave you a bunch of ideas on what to do about it .

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/...-hammer-on-houses-and-what-can-i-do-about-it/


You just got stuck on the fact that I said it was illegal to kill them. If you get fined it’s a huge fee. It’s one of those laws you don’t really know about it until after the fact. For instance around here the butternut tree is protected and the fine for cutting one down or taking any of the wood is huge. Like in the thousands.

I’m not in your shoes. I’m sure I’d find it annoying but I definitely wouldn’t kill them. I’d find some other way but now you have lots of other ways.
 
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Keesha said:
I also gave you a bunch of ideas on what to do about it .

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/...-hammer-on-houses-and-what-can-i-do-about-it/


You just got stuck on the fact that I said it was illegal to kill them. If you get fined it’s a huge fee. It’s one of those laws you don’t really know about it until after the fact. For instance around here the butternut tree is protected and the fine for cutting one down or taking any of the wood is huge. Like in the thousands.

I’m not in your shoes. I’m sure I’d find it annoying but I definitely wouldn’t kill them. I’d find some other way but now you have lots of other ways.
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We can get in a time machine, to 1978, and try out the ideas. If they existed then, and one worked, a murder would have been prevented. Nothing I tried despite the advice of "experts" worked.
 
Keesha said:
I’m not sure if you’re being facetious or actually being funny. I choose the latter. 😂 Time machine sounds like fun☺ There’s a few things I’d like to fix up too.
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My killing the bird was 42 years ago, so there's no need to beat a dead woodpecker. As stated in the OP, I'm no longer able even to lift a long gun to firing position and so to deter pest birds I simply rely on a nearly constant presence to scare it. Hope that doesn't violate any moonbat nation rules.
 
From an old lady who owns six cats: No more killing innocent birds. Their feathers make an awful mess
 


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