Have you ever been awaken by a woodpecker drumming on your outside gutters, your house side, or even your satellite dish ? Some woodpeckers can be reasonably annoying in the early dawn hours. And…the price they can make !
In one of my previous posts I mentioned how one particular Northern Flicker did quite the damage to our cedar sided theater ( at our old home in Ohio ). We lived on six and a half acres on a wooded lot so we bridge player a batch of trees .
That woodpecker had drilled holes all over our siding on all sides of the house. It seemed useless trying to fill in the holes and rouge over them as the woodpecker would fair make a raw one somewhere else on the siding. It was very frustrating to say the least. And with all the trees we had you would think that would be enough for them. But to no avail !
My conserve even tried one of the suggestions from a nature center to put brooding fictile strips over the holes because they were presuppose to deter woodpeckers as they don ’ t like things that are glistening. You see woodpeckers peck holes for nesting purposes we were told and the glistening flags would keep them from coming rear to that same hole to make an even bigger fix for their nestlings .
When we realized that this crazy theme wasn ’ thymine working…after I had what seemed to be about fifty or more short glazed strips all over my house…. I equitable had to do some research… ..
Why Do Woodpeckers Peck Houses Anyway?
You would think that with all of the trees out there woodpeckers would be satisfied by good pecking on them right ? After all that is where they get their food provision which consists of a diet of chiefly insects ( they will besides eat nuts, berries, seeds, and fool ). however, woodpeckers don ’ metric ton just peck on trees or wood equitable for a good meal .
There are other reasons why woodpeckers peck on things. One of which is to defend its territory. The male woodpecker will find the loudest thing to drum on to attract a mate. That could mean anything metal, a terminal, or whatever works for the bird. The loud the better, as it gets the female ’ randomness attention and tells the early birds to stay away. In addition to that, they tend to return back to the same district because if it worked before it will work for them again .
Another argue is for nest build purposes. Woodpeckers drill holes normally in the cavity of trees but will use your house if nothing else is around for them. This is particularly if it has cedar like we had, or redwood side as they very like these. Barns, call poles, or other man-made structures are fair game excessively .
In addition, woodpeckers besides peck holes to store food their food to come back for late. They besides peck holes for roosting purposes .
Ways to Discourage Woodpeckers
There are some things that you can try to deter woodpeckers from your cubic yard if they are causing damage. No guarantees mind you but it is decidedly worth a blastoff if you are at your wits end.
- As mentioned earlier my husband filled the holes made by that Northern Flicker on our house with putty and then painted over it with a stain which happened to be the color of our cedar siding. Yes, they stayed away from that hole but continued on to make a new hole in another spot.
- You can hang reflective tape or shiny strips up over the holes to deter the woodpecker from coming back to the hole. This does work as the woodpecker will not come back to that one however it just moves on to another spot on your house to start a new hole. As I mentioned from my personal experience earlier.
- Bird decoys might be another option to try such as a Great Horned Owl decoy. However, they are not long lasting at all. I always
chuckle when I see those credit card owls on ceiling tops or wherever. They equitable do not work . - You can also add a nesting box for the specific woodpecker coming to your yard. There are woodpecker nesting boxes that you can purchase to nail to a tree or a fence for the woodpeckers to take up residence. Just make sure you buy the correct size as there are different size holes for each species. Also, no guarantees for a woodpecker to use it and other birds such as starlings like to use them too.
- Woodpeckers make their loud pecking noises during mating season in springtime around April and May. If you have a woodpecker pecking on your house beyond this period and/or throughout the year, it may be because the bird is feeding on bugs such as carpenter ants in your siding. We learned that we had a carpenter ant problem and had our house treated every year after that. That is how we were able to stop the Northern Flicker from any more destruction to our house.
- If you have tried all of the above and still have problems, just keep in mind that woodpeckers only do their loud drumming in spring time. Eventually it will stop.
chuckle when I see those credit card owls on ceiling tops or wherever. They equitable do not work .Conclusion
Woodpeckers peck on houses, barns, metal, or whatever they can find to make the loudest randomness because they want are defending their territory and want to attract a mate. They besides peck on wood to satisfy their diet of insects or sap, to make a pit for nest, and besides for roosting purposes .
unfortunately in the process sometimes they cause damage excessively. You can try a few things as mentioned earlier to see what works best for you .
If a woodpecker is just being annoying in the spring clock time as it drums on your gutters or satellite dish every dawn, merely remember it won ’ t end long. Once it finds a mate it will stop .
Do you have any problems with woodpeckers ? Have any solutions other than what I have mentioned ? Please feel detached to comment below .
happy bird !
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
