R, I’ve got a cedar sided house that’s stained so it all still looks like wood. The peckers seem to appreciate that. So do the Tufted Titmouses (Titmice?). I tried for 3 or 4 years to keep those suckers off the house using passive methods. They were absolutely destroying the cedar siding. Shiny foil on string, balloons, more foil in different configurations, more shiny silver balloons. Not easy to hang 20 feet in the air, either. The birds had apparently been pecking holes on one side (east) of the house for years before I got here. Of course my neighbors have bird feeding stations galore and a bird bath over on that side so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise.
I repaired the previous ugly repairs of the former owners (boards nailed up there, hardware cloth over holes, even a metal plate nailed onto the side of the house. Plus about 20 - 25 holes in progress. I had what I considered a moderate bird problem, but after buying some cedar siding for repairs and to redo my dormer, I then considered it an expensive problem. I bet I repaired 20 - 30 holes, some had me dangling from a ladder and holding my breath with a caulk gun in one hand, my corded drill tied around my waist, one-handing the ladder with my pockets filled with newspaper filler and custom cut circular cedar plugs that I would put into the holes I drilled into the house for a perfect fit. Almost looked like a knot hole using dark brown caulk. I now just plug with paper and then caulk the hole as it is. The irregular shape looks even better than the circular plugs and I don’t have to carry the corded drill up there (I don’t have a cordless). Much easier, but I still take offense to those devils laying claim to my east wall.
I even had a nesting pair of red tailed hawks in the back yard less than 40 yards from that wall with a full view of it the first 3 or 4 years (they’ve since moved over a yard or two). You’d think hawks would scare the little birds off, but they didn’t. Regrettably, after years of failure with passive measures, I finally got fed up and violent with the regular offenders that seemed to have staked a claim. Sad, but it solved the problem. Now I try to scare the heck out of any newbies as soon as they think they’ve found a piece of cedar siding they are partial to. Maybe I’ve naturally selected for the house offending birds. I don’t seem to get near as many these days, although I still see both Downy Woodpeckers (the most destructive at my house) and Tufted Titmice all over the yard. Maybe word has spread that I mean business and to keep off the human predator’s square tree (house).
I had one doing this to the side of my house. Luckily we were having it vinyl sided anyway. Needless to say , but once it was sided, the woodpecker went away.
I had one doing this to the side of my house. Luckily we were having it vinyl sided anyway. Needless to say , but once it was sided, the woodpecker went away.
Mmmmm.... but beware the ever elusive vinylpecker…
Woodpeckers are classified as migratory, nongame birds and are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The red-cocaded woodpecker and the ivory billed woodpecker are on the Endangered Species list and are thus offered full protection. When warranted, woodpeckers, other than the endangered species, may be killed but only under a permit issued by the Law Enforcement Division of the US Fish and Wildlife Service upon recommendation of USDA-APHIS-Animal Damage Control personnel. Generally, there must be a good case to justify issuance of a permit. Woodpeckers are commonly protected under state laws, and in those instances a state permit may be required for measures that involve lethal control or nest destruction. Other methods of reducing woodpecker damage do not infringe upon their legal protection status. Threatened or endangered, however, cannot be harassed.
Woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven from their territories or selected pecking sites. For this reason, visual or sound types of frightening devices for protecting buildings-if they are to be effective at all--should be employed as soon as the problem is identified and before territories are well established. Visual and sound devices often fail to give desired results and netting may have to be installed.
Netting is one of the most effective methods of excluding woodpeckers from damaging wood siding beneath the eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird-type netting over the area. A mesh of 3/4 inch is generally recommended. At least 3 inches of space should be left between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot cause damage through the mesh. The netting can also be attached to the overhanging eaves and angled back to the siding below the damaged area and secured taut but not overly tight. Be sure to secure the netting so that the birds have no way to get behind it. If installed properly, the netting is barely visible from a distance and will offer a long-term solution to the damage problem. If the birds move to another area of the dwelling, that too will need to be netted. Netting becomes increasingly popular as a solution to woodpecker problems because it consistently gives desired results.
Woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven from their territories or selected pecking sites. For this reason, visual or sound types of frightening devices for protecting buildings-if they are to be effective at all--should be employed as soon as the problem is identified and before territories are well established. Visual and sound devices often fail to give desired results and netting may have to be installed.
Woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven from their territories or selected pecking sites. For this reason, pellet guns - if they are to be effective at all--should be employed as soon as the problem is identified and before territories are well established. Visual and sound devices often fail to give desired results and shotguns may have to be implemented.
-- Mike
PS - thanks for the info, didn’t know they were endangered, as you can’t swing a dead cat around here without hitting one. Nonetheless, if one kept whacking at my house, I’d kill it, no questions asked.
I had one doing this to the side of my house. Luckily we were having it vinyl sided anyway. Needless to say , but once it was sided, the woodpecker went away.
Mmmmm.... but beware the ever elusive vinylpecker…
-- Mike
Are they related to softwood pecker and the hardwood pecker?
At our last house we had recurring problems with woodpeckers poking holes in our house (wood siding.) When we heard the pecking, we would thwack hard on the wall from inside the house, if that didn’t scare the bird away we went outside and hollered at the bird. Over time a few holes were put into the siding, but so what? No real problem. We are bird lovers so wouldn’t hurt the woodpeckers. (Not be be Ash Can-y, but why is the Republican answer to any problem to shoot the problem? ) Last year while visiting my old home I noticed that the newest owners had put on vinyl siding. I asked why, since the wood siding was in great shape and looked very nice (nicer than the vinyl for sure.) The elderly woman said it was because the birds were pecking at the siding and she didn’t like it. So if you are old and feeble and obsessed with appearance I guess paying $10,000 for new siding is a solution. She also chastised me for planting so many daffodils, crocus, tulips, etc. since “bulbs are so hard to kill.” Why she couldn’t just let them bloom I don’t know, they had them mowed down every year. Some people hate nature, some try to coexist.
In my township discharge of firearms / weapons of any type is illegal. If I was seen in this neck of the woods with that thing, dressed like that I’d be in deep terrible trouble. The Coast Guard helicopters over head, Boarder Patrol out back in the river in there boats machineguns maned and Home Land Security leading me away in hand cuffs with the County Sheriff directing the traffic in front of my house after the neighbor called 911, “terrorists in the woods”
At our last house we had recurring problems with woodpeckers poking holes in our house (wood siding.) When we heard the pecking, we would thwack hard on the wall from inside the house, if that didn’t scare the bird away we went outside and hollered at the bird. Over time a few holes were put into the siding, but so what? No real problem. We are bird lovers so wouldn’t hurt the woodpeckers. (Not be be Ash Can-y, but why is the Republican answer to any problem to shoot the problem? ) Last year while visiting my old home I noticed that the newest owners had put on vinyl siding. I asked why, since the wood siding was in great shape and looked very nice (nicer than the vinyl for sure.) The elderly woman said it was because the birds were pecking at the siding and she didn’t like it. So if you are old and feeble and obsessed with appearance I guess paying $10,000 for new siding is a solution. She also chastised me for planting so many daffodils, crocus, tulips, etc. since “bulbs are so hard to kill.” Why she couldn’t just let them bloom I don’t know, they had them mowed down every year. Some people hate nature, some try to coexist.
or maybe some people just dont share your view of “whats nice”? Possibly the elderly woman put the vinyl on there so she wouldnt have to hire anyone to paint/stain every few years. Possibly the old gal has allergies, where she might be allergic to your flowers? i dont think it means she hates nature, rather has a less eclectic viewpoint than your own.
If I was seen in this neck of the woods with that thing, dressed like that I’d be in deep terrible trouble. The Coast Guard helicopters over head, Boarder Patrol out back in the river in there boats and Home Land Security leading me away in hand cuffs with the County Sheriff directing the traffic in front of my house after the neighbor called 911, “terrorists in the woods”
yeah, the Barrett .50, while not illegal in most states (its legal here even in MA, the land of tough weapons laws), is most likely too heavy to run around hunting with....in MA, you cant use a rifle to hunt, only shotguns, crossbows, bows, and black powder. So, this particular weapon is basically only for enthusiasts here, limited to range-shooting and as a deterrent to burglars and my daughters horny boyfriends....generally tell them Ive got lots of shovels too!
Now that’s just laugh out loud funny… Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones 
) Last year while visiting my old home I noticed that the newest owners had put on vinyl siding. I asked why, since the wood siding was in great shape and looked very nice (nicer than the vinyl for sure.) The elderly woman said it was because the birds were pecking at the siding and she didn’t like it. So if you are old and feeble and obsessed with appearance I guess paying $10,000 for new siding is a solution. She also chastised me for planting so many daffodils, crocus, tulips, etc. since “bulbs are so hard to kill.” Why she couldn’t just let them bloom I don’t know, they had them mowed down every year. Some people hate nature, some try to coexist.
