"To discourage drumming, try a combination of the following strategies:

Scare the flicker by hanging strips of Mylar scare tape or floating Mylar party balloons in front of the area of activity (Fig. 6). When using scare tape, strengthen each strip by attaching a piece of duct tape or nylon packing tape to each end. Tack or nail one end to the outer end of the roof soffit, just under the gutter, and attach the other end to the side of the house. Before attaching the bottom, twist the tape 6 to 7 times and keep the tape loose enough to provide some slack. The slack and twisting are necessary to produce the shimmering effect. Apply these tape strands at parallel intervals of 2 to 3 feet.

You can also try hanging aluminum pie pans horizontally along a rope or section of twine (Fig. 6). Run one end of the rope to a convenient window and fasten it to an object inside the house. Whenever you hear drumming, jerk on the string to make the pans move.

Some people have had success with stapling large rubber spiders in the vicinity of the drumming birds. Large, black rubber spiders are available from most party stores. The Birds Away Attack Spider® is vibration/sound activated and will respond to the drumming of woodpeckers, by dropping down on a “web” cord. Batteries then retract the spider back up the cord, where it waits for the next unsuspecting woodpecker to arrive.

Scaring the flicker by shouting and banging pans outside a nearby window may provide temporary relief. A squirt of water with a garden hose can have a similar effect. Again, flickers living in urban areas likely will have grown accustomed to such noises and activity, and the results will be short lived. (Note: Scaring flickers away from a nest containing eggs or young is illegal.)
http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/woodpeckers.html

We have one in the neighborhood. You can hear him drumming on gutters in the morning. When he started on our house I banged on was and went outside. The left for better spots.
What I hate is a little red headed one. He goes after my birch to eat the bugs attracted by the sap. I've lost two trees to the pest. So far this year he hasn't been around.

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:
I had that problem several years ago, but with a pair of woodys. It went on for several days, until my 10/22 ended one of them's activities. The other one left, never to be heard from again.

I never figured you of all people would end up on my ignore list.

They peck baseball sized holes in my white wood columns. An owl decoy has done a pretty good job keeping them away. People can make fun of that solution... maybe it's an extreme coincidence. We had 7 big holes in the columns when we moved in and quickly saw one or two more. Owl decoy goes up and there are no more holes. Owl decoy gets blown over by wind one weekend behind a bush, we hear hammering. Owl back up, no more peckers.

Try talking to the bastard. Had one at my cabin in the mountains. Forest full of trees and the little SOB had to attack the house. Not allowed to shoot him and didn't want to anyway so I went outside, cursed him out, and told him I would shoot him if he didn't stop. Somehow it worked. He quit tapping on the cabin.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:
I had that problem several years ago, but with a pair of woodys. It went on for several days, until my 10/22 ended one of them's activities. The other one left, never to be heard from again.

I never figured you of all people would end up on my ignore list.

Meh. I've killed thousands of birds in my lifetime. I've got no problem killing one that is damaging my new house.

TIMBERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Sgt Neutron:
The only problem that I've had has been Northern Flickers that will hit my chimney cap in the spring. They will "drum" to attract a mate, and the metal makes a better noise than just plain wood. I also have Hairy Woodpeckers and Pileated Woodpeckers around, but they never try to get through the siding or trim on the house.....I have several dead trees and stumps in the woods near the house that makes for a much better nest.

Edit: Here's one of the Pileated Woodpeckers banging away on a stump. The tree fell years ago (snapped off about 15 feet above ground).

I had one blasting away on a gutter one time and I noticed he would attack the same place each time. I think I stuffed a ball or rag there for a while until I was sure he gave up. I guess he was too stupid to move a few inches down the channel past the obstruction.

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

quote:

Originally posted by Bigboreshooter:
I had that problem several years ago, but with a pair of woodys. It went on for several days, until my 10/22 ended one of them's activities. The other one left, never to be heard from again.

I never figured you of all people would end up on my ignore list.

Meh. I've killed thousands of birds in my lifetime. I've got no problem killing one that is damaging my new house.

Not cool. Migratory birds are protected, and woodpeckers are truly unique. Certainly not a good idea to post that you killed one, much less thousands. I assume the others you disposed of were game birds.

Since the ivory billed woodpeckers were extirpated thanks to the Singer Sewing Machine folks, I don't think that they are protected by law! But the pileated sure gets my attention with the wood chips it produces. Man, can they chop wood.

Ugh. Mr machinegun beak has the best timing. Our newborn had me up ALL NIGHT. So what do I wake up to at 5 something am? BRRRRRRRRRRRTFFFFFF BRRRRRRRRRRRTFFFFF!

He is getting used to me clapping to try to scare him away. This is not good.

Just a note to underly the legal issues here.

Here is the legal information from the Woodpecker page - ICWDM (Cornell/Clemson/UN-Lincoln/Utah State site

quote:

Legal Status

Woodpeckers are classified as migratory, nongame birds and are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) are on the Endangered Species list and are thus offered full protection. When warranted, woodpeckers other than the endangered species can 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-Wildlife Services 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 species, however, cannot be harassed.

TL: DR -->Like many birds, they are protected by federal law and some state law as well.

For those who might say, 'so what', bear in mind the only difference between an illegal and a legal immigrant is that one followed the law and the other didn't. Shooting without a permit might not get you deported but it's a crime nonetheless.

Not something to be proud of, and not something to post online.

For folks looking at legal ways to deal with them, that page's main purpose is to provide info about deterring and mitigating woodpecker damage.

How would the law view something non lethal like airsoft? Could I get in trouble for "harassing a protected bird"? He harassed me first!


I'd never kill one. Heck I posted a thread recently on how pissed I was when I saw someone run over a duck.

I thought mine were gone too but it seems they just suffered forced relocation at the hands of my squadron of Blue Jays. They evidently moved to other parts of the neighborhood as I heard and saw one do a fly by at a distance from our house yesterday morning and another that landed high on a Royal Palm a few houses down. No more full auto gutter pecking though for now.

I would think any non-lethal non-harming way of scaring them off should not be an issue. Maybe I should start renting out some of my Blue Jay squadron. They work for peanuts. (literally)

Oh, and I have two daughters that are now teens but clearly remember those newborn days. Patience and a tag team system are your friend. So are naps if and when you can manage a short time here and there.

Nail a rubber snake up there?

As I posted above, I have Pileated & Hairy WP's, and Flickers, with only the occasional flicker drumming on the vents/gutters. There are much more attractive paces for them to find insects and nest near the house. This tree is far enough away from the house that it won't cause any damage when it falls (it will fall into some blackberries). Every time we have a windstorm I expect it to break off along the groove the birds pecked out.

I'm resurrecting this old thread in an attempt to find some solution to the age old "pecker problem".

I have some very persistent ones that are reigning massive destruction to my home. The holes are high in the second story exterior - hard to reach.

Fake Owls and Fake Snakes have no effect.

BB gun deliberate misses to scare them away works, but is quite labor intensive and they just return later.

I would hang foil or computer discs if I could get up there to do it, but don't know if this would work permanently or if they would just learn not to fear the reflection.

Does anyone know a good solution for this?

It's called the three S's of The Endangered Species Act.

Shoot
Saute
Shit

I will admit to:

* throwing rocks [a crime)
* hanging 10 strips of Mylar reflective tape every spring
* moving an owl look-alike every 24 hrs

The last two worked better.

I figure I might have to get a DJI Phantom III and chase the bastards...

I am going to call it my heat-seekin' beak tweakin' gas powered pecker wrecker

(props to Home Improvement)

Yep...pekkerwoods will drum on gutter and chimney caps to make noise...when they hammer out holes on your wood (house...not "your" wood )... They are after something to eat...carpenter bee larva, carpenter ants or even termites (but mostly carpenter bee larva or adults)...

A few years ago I had to replace about 25' of cedar facia and eaves hammered out while scarfing down the bees. I did not blame the birds, but started a full out war on carpenter bees...killed the aggravating bastards any way I could (I even took to mashing the carpenter bee between my fingers while the feed on flowers)...I killed many hundreds each summer...with a dwindling bees boring into my house my hammerheads quit tearing up my siding and overhang...

I never mash or swat bumble bees...they don't nest in wood (they are ground nesters)...bumble bees look pretty much the same, but they have hairs on their bodies...evil carpenter bees have slick asses that are shiny black. Kill them all if they are bald and shiny...let the hairy bees live.

Kill the food...woodpeckers will look elsewhere