How do I phrase this...I've got a pecker problem.

[Boozie]

We had 2 pairs of wooley woodpeckers come and start knocking holes in our birch trees a couple years back. They drove me nuts trying to keep them from one tree or another as they just went back and forth. These guys are determined little dudes. We ended up just putting out a couple of those small square suet feeders they sell at Tractor Supply and Wallyworld. The suet blocks are a buck apiece. They still hung around but didn't knock very many new holes in the trees again though they do wander all over them picking all over constantly but damaging nothing. Now a couple years later we have a whole squadron of Wooley and Hairy woodpeckers as well as a few Nuthatches that hang around with them. They stay here all year round doing their thing but if you keep them well fed they don't seem much inclined to get too ambitious with your property. They make pretty interesting neighbors these welfare woodpeckers.

I think what you are referring to is a "Downy" Woodpecker instead of a "wooley". If they were knocking holes in your birch tree they were looking for insects and their eggs. If you caught them flying from tree to tree, flapping their wings slowly like a butterfly .... uttering a low, harsh, chattering cry, no doubt you were observing a "love performance".

I have suet and peanut feeders ..... they love both (especially the peanuts) and visit often.

A little trick in knowing whether it's a Hairy or a Downy .... the Hairy's bill is longer.

Pics: A Downy at the hummingbird feeder in the summertime.
A Red Bellied Woodpecker at the hummingbird feeder. I had to take the little flowers out as they kept knocking them out so they could get their larger beaks in the holes.
A squirrel at a nectar feeder ..... hey they all get thirsty in the summertime.
and a Downy at the suet feeder last week on the deck.

 

[Boozie]

We have pileated woodpeckers year round. I was watching one today and love them. They have occasionally used our flue cap as an announcement drum. It does surprise you, but I wouldn't hold that against them They are very cool birds. I've had neighbor's barking dogs that were much more annoying.

I have one that visits occasionally. Magnificent birds!

 

[firefighterjake]

Around here we have downies, hairies and pileated . . . pileated are easy to ID -- they're big and leave quite large holes in dead trees and they have a distinctive cry. I kept mixing up the downies and hairies until my wife pointed out that a useful mnemoic would be hairies = huge (or put another way . . . they're a bit larger than the downies.)

 

[Boozie]

Around here we have downies, hairies and pileated . . . pileated are easy to ID -- they're big and leave quite large holes in dead trees and they have a distinctive cry. I kept mixing up the downies and hairies until my wife pointed out that a useful mnemoic would be hairies = huge (or put another way . . . they're a bit larger than the downies.)

Your wife is right, the Hairies are about 2 inches larger. The Pileated comes in at a whoppin' 15". The one that I see doesn't come close to the house he stays in the back of the yard with my pile of limbs. He gets down in there looking for bugs. I almost wish he would come nearer the house so I could get a better picture, but sure wouldn't want this one pounding on my house.

 

[firefighterjake]

Around here we have downies, hairies and pileated . . . pileated are easy to ID -- they're big and leave quite large holes in dead trees and they have a distinctive cry. I kept mixing up the downies and hairies until my wife pointed out that a useful mnemoic would be hairies = huge (or put another way . . . they're a bit larger than the downies.)

Your wife is right, the Hairies are about 2 inches larger. The Pileated comes in at a whoppin' 15".

Boozie . . . my wife is almost always right! I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have been right about something when she was wrong . . .

 

[Boozie]

Boozie . . . my wife is almost always right!

You are indeed a wise and very intelligent person. ;-)

 

[firefighterjake]

Boozie . . . my wife is almost always right!

You are indeed a wise and very intelligent person. ;-)

Not really . . . just a guy who has been married for 14 years.

And truthfully . . . joking aside . . . she usually is right . . .

 

[blades]

Well you just lost another one. Male v/s female, male is never right. Especially after saying "I do"

Back to the peckers, bulit house in the early 60's cedar sided, in just the last year or so we started have difficulties all over the neighborhood. Never happened before. The little b-------ds drilled 2 holes in my place plus some other started not all the way thru ones. Every house in the area now sports hangy flashy wavy thingies it is starting to look like laundry day in the bronx in some of the old photos. War has been declared on the latest terrorist threat. I believe the chipmunks and squirrels have recruited them.