woodpecker problems

[diverrick]

Here's one I need help with. I have a flicker who has decided he/she wants into our houses attic. he/she is making quite a bit of headway on his project. Problem is that my lovely wife won't let me kill it. Does anyone know if I build a bird house and place it over his construction zone, would that fix the problem, or any other ideas as to how to stop this feathered drill press from tearing up my soffets?

 

[scubajoe]

Good luck with your feathered friend. From my experience with those nasty creatures he/she is probably looking for food rather then a place to live. In my real job we deal with them a lot. I work for the power company and at times they attack the same pole over and over. It appears to us that they are hearing vibration caused by the wires. It seems they think it is bug activity inside the poles. We tried screen wire around the poles. They just moved to the arms or an unprotected place on the pole. We changed out the same pole several times. Finally we decided to attempt to stop the noise they were hearing. It worked. Now how to stop what they are hearing in/on your house may be a challenge. Could be a turbine vent or power ventilator or who knows what. One thing you could try is and artificial owl. We have been successful scaring birds away with them for awhile. Like I said good luck!

Joe

PS. A pan of dry dog food and dry cement powder may help but don't tell your wife I told you that!

 

[IslandHopper]

I'll second that ... most likely there are bugs of some sort in the wood ...

Not necessarily termites, or anything too harmful to your house, but something that Woody finds tastey ! ... If you can't kill the bird, calling a bug exterminator to come look at your house might help !

 

[Jambi]

Just don't tell your wife :cut: . Then have a BBQ! A pellet guns seems to be the easiest solution. This solution may be less than legal.

Jambi

 

[scubajoe]

Dog food and cement is probably illegal also and it is much less discressionary then a pellett gun. But it does work extremely well. Extremly.

Joe

 

[Hallmac]

Go to the toy store and buy a stuffed cat. Place him on the roof near the constructio site. It will make them wary to return and start a new marking zone further from the house. Move it around every once in the while in the late evening to change the picture.

Hallmac

 

[diverdeb001]

Here's one I need help with. I have a flicker who has decided he/she wants into our houses attic. he/she is making quite a bit of headway on his project. Problem is that my lovely wife won't let me kill it. Does anyone know if I build a bird house and place it over his construction zone, would that fix the problem, or any other ideas as to how to stop this feathered drill press from tearing up my soffets?

My husband has a tree service and he says that woodpeckers only bother trees that are already dying and have bugs in them. The wood pecker must be looking/finding something up there or I don't think he'd be pecking??!! db

 

[cobaltbabe]

Sometimes if a woodpecker is going at your house they are sending out mating signals. Find out where he is pecking and put up a piece of metal. The noise will drive you nuts for a day or so but it will drive him nuts too and he will go away.

 

[diverrick]

My husband has a tree service and he says that woodpeckers only bother trees that are already dying and have bugs in them. The wood pecker must be looking/finding something up there or I don't think he'd be pecking??!! db

Yea, you caught me. My house is dying, more correctly I think it is dead! I have been trying to resuscitate it for some years now, but it appears at times to be hopeless. Someone needs to come put it out of my misery, so insurance would pay off, and I could build a stucco or brick house. Lets see old woody get through those walls! In addition, my loving Wife says I am a pest! but I digress. (notice: that was a joke, and in no way is it an indorsment to come burn down my humble abode. signed, the management). Your hubby might be on to something there, as I was intending to replace the area around the eaves this year, due to rot, water damage in areas, but didn't get to it, as I spent too much money on diving gear. (priorities you know)
Thanks for all the great ideas, I'll try a few when it stops raining for a day or so.

 

[doole]

When I encountered this thread, I was surprised that nobody told you about a product called "shoo-bird". (sp?) Comes in one of those tubes that you put in a caulking gun and spreads a sticky but harmless substance that they hate getting on their feet.

I can tell you from personal experience (with a very loud woodpecker) that it works perfectly.

By the way, feeding is not always the only motivation. The sound helps to mark a territory.

Good luck.