Woodpeckers pecking on my house

kozmic

kozmic

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UGH!!! I've said it many times before...I'm a "live and let live" guy but, the Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers around here seem to know how to push my buttons. They relentlessly peck away at the wood soffits around my house. They don't do any real structural damage but they've made swiss cheese out of a few areas of trim boards.:mad:

I usually just lock and unlock or open and close the nearest casement window a few times and the noise shoos them away. Inevitably they return a minute or two later though. They aren't crafting a home or looking for food. They just do it to p*** me off.:mad: It might be time for plan B or in this case plan BB (gun)!:eek:

Lord knows if my lib neighbors saw me thinning the woodpecker flock, they'd call andy cuomo's gun-hater hotline in a minute....I might be looking for the S&W Forum's Defense Fund to bail me out. What's that 800 number again Lee?:rolleyes::D
 
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I wonder if woodpecker breast meat is any good??
Eat one and leave its head on a pike as a warning to the rest of them.


I can picture the conversation with the lib neighbor.

Lib: Is...is...is th-that a...a... bird's head over there?

Kozmic: Yup, sure is. Them things is good eatin' too.

:D :D
 
I hate to state the obvious, but if you've got woodpeckers going after wood on your house, you really should call an exterminator and thank the woodpeckers.
The woodpeckers are after some kind of wood boring insect that you probably can't see. You may have carpenter ants, or some other wood boring insect, and hopefully not termites.:eek:
 
I had a woodpecker put a hole in some trim and then it was trying to put a hole in the metal attic fan louver.

He didnt get to far on the metal but it sure made a racket.

After he kept trying the metal I figured he was challenged...
 
Attach silver wide ribbons - about 2" around the area. When the wind blows, those move and scare the little peckers away.

Around here, those pests are protected so you can't do anything to harm them but, you can drive them away with ribbons and the like.
 
Little birdy on my sill
Yellow with an orange bill
I drew him in with crumbs of bread
Then I shot him in the head.
 
KeithC said:
I hate to state the obvious, but if you've got woodpeckers going after wood on your house, you really should call an exterminator and thank the woodpeckers.
The woodpeckers are after some kind of wood boring insect that you probably can't see. You may have carpenter ants, or some other wood boring insect, and hopefully not termites.:eek:
Click to expand...

Nope, none of the above. My bug and bee guy is a good friend. I get a healthy dose of complete coverage and a thorough inspection every year (even my barn) and I got nothin'.

The woodpeckers seem to do it early, like 5:30 am during the late spring and early summer every year. It's some sort of ritual, normal thing for them I think. It's a bit more resonant and louder than "your average tree". That might be it. Never Flickers, Red Bellied or Pileated just the smaller guys.

I live in the woods. There's a good supply of food and wood for them. I can't imaging why they like the smell and taste of wood stain but they do.
 
That is weird...never known them to do it just for fun....unless they are using it as some kind of mating call since it has a better echo than an old tree?

I rarely see the smaller ones here, but we sure do have some large pileated that always go after the dead or diseased trees along the back of our properties along the RR tracks. In fact, just last weekend I watched one single handedly take out a stump along the neighbors driveway that has been rotting away for a couple years and was most likely full of ants, termites etc....last year one took out a large stump in the neighbors back yard on the other side of me.
 
KeithC said:
I hate to state the obvious, but if you've got woodpeckers going after wood on your house, you really should call an exterminator and thank the woodpeckers.
The woodpeckers are after some kind of wood boring insect that you probably can't see. You may have carpenter ants, or some other wood boring insect, and hopefully not termites.:eek:
Click to expand...

Woodpeckers also peck to attract mates. We get a flicker across the street every spring. After they get a nest going, they stop.
 
We have a suet station in our back yard that we keep stocked all year, and the little downies and hairies (I originally wrote "little peckers" but edited it) really go for it. When there's anything left after the gangster sparrows get through with it, that is.

Wonder what would happen if you distracted 'em from the pecking by placing some food nearby? Might be worth a try, and cheap too. Suet bricks at Wal-Mart are about a buck each, and the little wire enclosures aren't much.

I am not responsible for any additional woodpeckers who come to the station and, upon filling themselves, fly over to the house and join their buddies pecking on the boards! This is the "woodpecker clause" of the suggestion!:D
 
Trying putting some suet and a 'Do Not Disturb' sign outside. Those little buggers are real smart. If you really P*** them off, they'll call in the "enforcer peckers"....their 'Pileated' cousins.

As depicted here before you do not want those suckers banging on your house. Good luck.
 
you got bugs!

kozmic said:
Nope, none of the above. My bug and bee guy is a good friend. I get a healthy dose of complete coverage and a thorough inspection every year (even my barn) and I got nothin'.

The woodpeckers seem to do it early, like 5:30 am during the late spring and early summer every year.
Click to expand...

I was told by one of the forest service's bird-ologist that they are after bugs that over night in the cracks between the siding boards. Their hammering will drive the bugs out for easy picking. They are not necessarily wood eating or boring bugs, just insects that seek the warmth & shelter of your house.

I recommend a generous spraying with S&W M78g, & repeat as needed.

Wood peckers come in two broad categories, bug eaters & sap suckers, yours are the latter.
 
Henry Gibson??

Comrad said:
Little birdy on my sill
Yellow with an orange bill
I drew him in with crumbs of bread
Then I shot him in the head.
Click to expand...

I remember on 'Laugh In' Henry Gibson reciting.

I saw a little birdy, laying in the snow
His wing was broke, he could not go
I drew him near with a crust of bread
And then I smashed that birdy's head.
 
You might try a Red Ryder BB gun. Local Wal-Marts usually still have those in stock. I keep one to play with around here, but I have not shot at birds in over 50 years. If a woodpecker started drilling for oil on my house, I would have to air mail a BB to him.

Of course those are probably illegal in some states, or have a 75 day waiting cooling off period or some such thing.
 
finesse_r said:
You might try a Red Ryder BB gun. Local Wal-Marts usually still have those in stock. I keep one to play with around here, but I have not shot at birds in over 50 years. If a woodpecker started drilling for oil on my house, I would have to air mail a BB to him.

Of course those are probably illegal in some states, or have a 75 day waiting cooling off period or some such thing.
Click to expand...


You'll shoot your eye out!!!


:):):):):eek:
 
Word of caution about the obvious thing of doing them in, "Woodpeckers are classified as migratory, nongame birds and are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act."

So much for disclaimer, I have about 30 holes in the front of the house where they bored holes and removed insulation to make nest there. Tried all remedies from water to throwing shoes at them, including putting a mesh net over the front which only gave them a foothold wile the bored more holes. The only thing that worked for me was to repaint haven't had any since been several years and lots of wooden patches while waiting for cement board siding to be installed.
 
kozmic said:
The woodpeckers seem to do it early, like 5:30 am during the late spring and early summer every year. It's some sort of ritual, normal thing for them I think. It's a bit more resonant and louder than "your average tree". That might be it. Never Flickers, Red Bellied or Pileated just the smaller guys.

I live in the woods. There's a good supply of food and wood for them. I can't imaging why they like the smell and taste of wood stain but they do.
Click to expand...

Oh contraire my friend. The flickers that overwinter here in Vegas like to drum on things to let the others know they are about. They usually pick my metal chimney cap at 0630 on a Saturday. Not being a morning person this usually results in a vertical take-off in the fetal position for me. That racket is LOUD in my bedroom.
 
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