woodpecker rounds

[RobertN]

Is a 3" #2 Steel 12 gauge Winchest Dry-lok round too big for wood peckers? I don't think so; it just worked perfect/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I coulda used the .410, but it was at the back of the safe. So, the duck gun got the call!

So, we have a few of these around, banging on my eaves, and the neighbors eaves. This is the second in two weeks, and third in a year. Does anyone have recomendations for deterring them? The shotgun works great, but only if I'm home.

This one, and the one last year, is Jay sized, and reddish brown color/marking. The one a week or so ago was blackish with white spots. I was able to find it on the net; it was a red cockaded wood pecker.

I would like to deter them. I don't mind a little varmit control, but that doesn't help when I'm at work. There's plenty of tree's around here for them to bang on instead of the house. That's ok with me.

I was trying to learn more about them. But, if you search the web for "woodpecker" or "wood pecker", the engines mostly come up with porno sites! I have not had time to go to the library yet.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

You can always wrap your soffits and facia with metal as a last resort.

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Good job Bob,

Did you find the part on the web that lists it as an endangered species?

If it was "Jay" sized, it was probably not a red cockaded wood pecker they are much smaller. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Al

 

[beenthere]

I have board and batten cedar on my house, and numerous woodpecker holes through the cedar, through the black paper and through the 1/2" 5-ply sheathing. Shotgun works as you say, IF you are home. I found that rat traps, baited with suet, and hung on the house near the fresh hole work well too. I bait them when I see fresh activity, and usually nail (catch) one in the trap. The hole-making stops for awhile, making me think that either I caught the offender, OR the others get the message when they see their buddy hanging there on the side of the house. I too have plenty of trees to make holes in, but the house is probably in their territory and they are staking it out. Lots of research over the years to figure out a deterrent, but to my knowledge, nothing short of removal has been found. Flickers, red bellied, and downy are the worst offenders. I am happy that the pileated woodpeckers around here stick to the trees, and have not ventured to the house. They make serious holes.

 

[JoeR]

My builder once complained that applying metal may stop the damage, but it does not stop the bird. For some reason the woodpeckers would bang on the metal flashing around the top of his chimney. The noise would resonate all the way down into the fireplace, and make quite a racket. He said the woodpecker was notorious for doing this at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. Messing with his day off was not a good idea for the woodpecker. My builder also used his shotgun to restore sanity to his weekend.

Joe

 

[hayden]

The reddish brown ones are probably Flickers. The black and white would be a downey or hairy depending on the size. Hairy's are larger, not quite jay sized, but about like a cardinal. Downeys are smaller, closer to a finch in size. Flickers frequently attack houses. The solution is really very simple. Get plastic owls and hang them under the eves. They'll never bother you again.

 

[RobertN]

Yes, I found the Red Cockaded to be an endangered item, after it was cat bait.... Up to that time, I had not been close enough to get a good look at it. I have had my spotting scope out, but had never seen one that way.

It was a smaller bird than the one I got this morning. Also, I was able to positively id it from pictures on the web.

The one this morning, and the other last year, were the larger Jay sized bird.

 

[RobS]

<font color=blue>I am happy that the pileated woodpeckers around here stick to the trees, and have not ventured to the house. They make serious holes. </font color=blue>

Where I grew up we had a pileated woodpecker. He would go after the carpenter bees that were boring into the cedar siding. That bird could pull chunks of cedar off the house /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Quite impressive, though my dad didn't think so at the time. He was a georgous bird and I got kind of used to seeing him around.

My mom ended up moving to a smaller place after my dad died and some time (10+ years) later I had occasion to drive back to the old house. As I'm driving in the lane, what do I see but a pileated woodpecker flying through the woods. Not sure if it was the same one or an offspring. Pretty cool though /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[TerryinMD]

Robert,

I didn't see any mention of this, but you also should clean your gutters. Nice breeding ground for all kinds of critters and the Woodpeckers are just doing their job looking for a good meal.

We had the same problem until I put on the swing away metal gutter protectors to keep out leaves and catkins. Still have to go up clean the gutters periodicallyl, but not as often.

Terry

 

[RichZ]

Actually what is happening when a woodpecker bangs on metal is that the woodpecker is announcing that this is his territory. This happens from the middle of winter until the spring when the males mark out their territories. The males naturally drum on hollow trees, but they find that they can make an even loader sound on metal on the side of a house, so they drum on that.

Woodpeckers are actually very beneficial to trees, and have been know to save many trees that had borer infestations, by drilling out and eating the borers.

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."