I have a wood sided home and am having a heck of a time with woodpeckers. More specifically, they are called "Common Flickers". These are the most destructive critters I have ever seen. The last hole these monsters have drilled into my wall was about 8 inches in diameter. I sent that one to the big pecker tree in the sky with my pump pellet gun so he got what he deserved. It took several days and a blind to finally get the sucker though as they are REALLY spooky and hard to sneak up on. As soon as they think someone is getting close, they fly off, then return as soon as you get back into the house. They always seem to pick a side of the house where there is no activity about the area.
I'm trying to come up with an idea to detour the little punks so I don't need to constantly devote myself to plinking them. They always win as by the time I finally get one, they have already done tons of damage. Besides, if I ever am lucky enough to get one (once in a while I do) another one comes in to take over the mission. Aaaaarggh.
One thing I am thinking of doing is set up a motion light with a plug in receptacle screwed into it, then plug in a fan. Below the fan, place a couple of those twirly things that spin when the wind hits them. I figure that when the motion light fixture picks up one of those little home wreckers, the system might spook them away.
It is kind of complexed and probably a pita to keep set up so any simpler ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks, T

 

Ok, this sounds good, but I think I can make a few suggestions on how to make this problem go away for good. The motion light is a very good idea, but instead of a fan, use dynomite strategically placed all around your house. When the bird trips the motion light, the fuse to the dynomite will be lit, then your whole house will blow up killing the little pecker. Then rebuild your house out of cinder blocks, because a woodpeckers pecker can't peck through a cinderblock...problem solved. Oh, by the way, I would stay out of the house while the motion light/dynamite is set up.

Tim

 

We used to have a large cedar sided office building afflicted with flickers. I cringe still, reading your description of the same nightmare we went through. Can't shoot the pests because they're protected. Squirrels love those big holes as do starlings. We talked to extension agents, pest control firms - all to no avail. All we could do is hang unsightly streamers, pinwheels, glitter strips, etc. but after one week they just ignore them. Owl figurines are useless as owls are nocturnal birds and flickers never see them, therefore are not scared of them. We finally sold the building. The new owners suffered the same fate for awhile then tore off all the siding and replaced it with stucco.

 

Join the club my friend.

Your story mirrors mine almost to the 'T'. I have neutralized two so far. Their damage to my cedar home has force me to repair WHOLE sections siding. After playing cat and mouse with these little @#$&%'s for two years, I think I got'r figured out...


I use a combination of reflective ribbon called Flash Tape (hung from my eves), and a Scarecrow Owl (perched nearby).

I have not had any problems since the use of these items.

 

Oh yes you can (and yes, I DID).

Yes, you are correct, they are protected. But when damage can be proved, lethal force can be instituted with the proper permits. You can read more about the Flicker and the use of lethal control HERE.

 

It's a common problem in our area, (I'm in Tahoe,) I have not had the problem myself but lots of people do, and all the above suggestions are used with varying degrees of success.

One problem with shooting them is the hazard of shooting holes in the eaves. So you are limited to pellet guns. One thing I have not seen tried is .22 birdshot, which I think might be pretty good. Or maybe get Dick Cheney to shoot them in the face!

Problem is, all the time you spend laying in wait... and wait... and wait.

One neighbor whose house is very tall and difficult to repair, recently got an electric fence setup and strung three rows of hot wire around the area the birds seem to like. We are waiting to see if that succeedes.

 

Try putting a rubber snake(s) in the area, they do know what they are and if placed properly they will work. You may have to move them around to get them to work and you want them to be of the size that would be able to eat the critter if in real life.

 

If these SOB's are protected, then why are they referred to as a "Common" Flicker in the books I've read?
Oh well. Yeah, in the interest of protecting myself from prosecution, for the record, when I stated that I sent that sucker to the great pecker tree in the sky, I really meant that I left him various forms of religious material to study when enjoying a break from destroying my house. Ignore the rest of the post. I was just, ah, just, yeah. Funny thing is that while he was err aah reading, another one came and resumed within an hour. Arg!
The bird shot wouldn't work at my house anyway as my nieghbors would probably picket my front yard. Geeze. My nieghborhood's a regular pita pocket. Nothing more than pellets in my neighborhood.
Now with the electric fence idea, I had thought of that one. But I believe that the victim needs to be grounded, don't they? My walls are wood and would not conduct the grounding, right.
The streamers of flagging did help for a while but I think those little devils got used to it in a short time as they eventually resumed pulling the insulation out of the walls a month later. Another thought I have had is maybe to string fishing line from the eaves to the wall, up and down so to create a difficult path from which they can retreat. They are very spooky so maybe that would make them uncomfortable enough to stay away. It also doesn't look so crappy as fishing line is virtually transparent.
Anyway, thanks for the ideas. I think that so far I will pursue the motion light idea. I think that the dynamite might be a little extreme though. The point is to mitigate the destruction of the homestead.
If anyone has any further ideas about what to wire into the motion light, I would sure appreciate the input. This war has got to be won. I will not rest until my walls are secure.
I'll post results as they come.

 

There's hope!!! Amaizing what you can get with a Google Search.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/natres/06516.html

here's another one.

http://www.denvergov.org/AnimalContr...plate23332.asp

The fine for killing one of these demons without a permit is $500 and 6 months in jail!

I think I'll try the visual and audible repellents instead of birdshot.

 

dang people, they just want a home also, no reason to kill something for that. i think its better to come up with a non-lethal force for them.

 

bf250, if you read some of the links I posted, you'll see that you are correct in the better option for more than just that reason. Like BIG fines!

I would always prefer to just enjoy the critters around my home. That is why I live where I live. But if you haven't experienced Flicker problems, you just can't imagine the frustration.

Funny thing is about just trying to build a home is that the Starlings run the flickers out of the home they just drilled into your house by sheer numbers. Those are some mean SOB's there. And the aren't even indigenous to America. Apparenty, some English guy back in the early days of European migration thought Starlings looked cool so he introduced a few. Well, now they are in huge flocks about the skys. And competing with the native birds. After the Starlings are done nesting in the hole that the Flicker built, they leave behind the stench of bird crap and dead babies in their wake.

I think that I am on to some detourants that just might work. Don't worry, I'll do what I can to avoid flicker mortality.

 

www.flockfighters.com

Try calling these guys. We use them at work to control pigeons.

 

IMO the starlings are just as bad as the peckers... Darn things are nasty and they drain a bird feeder like nothing. If you've exhausted all reasonable means (that goes for cost, too) I vote to keep shootin the bastids!

Just another angry homeowner :-P
Tom

 

I've never seen a bird tear into a house like that. The links you posted are pretty good, oldforsnstone. So, they do it for territory (male), nesting (female), and food.

Anyone just tried pounding on the wall from the inside when they start doing it? Sound like a huge woodpecker and scare them away. Turn up the bass on the stereo, used to scare the neighbors years ago.

Maybe animal scent might work. I could wait till the wife leaves, then duct tape our cat to a pole and rub him around, up under the eves.

Is there something I can do to attract these birds?

 

Ooooh yeah, I have pounded, virtually putting the heel of my hand through the drywall. After about 10 seconds of POUNDING, they will quit and fly off. Then within a half n hour, their back and digging even more vigorously. No kidding, they seem to get pissed off if you spook them away.

What really gets me is when I see a flurry of insulation blowing from the corner of the house. You go over and try to sneak up on em and as soon as you can see them, they're ditching you. Then when you go back to what you were doing, they come back and get even more aggressive. It's almost like it is a game for the little punks.

I've got a few tricks up my sleeve before resulting to further blood shed. The wife would make me regret duct taping the cat up there. It's gotta be 15 feet up. Besides, the cat is de-clawed. There must be a diplomatic way to deal with these things.

If not... Of course with a permit.