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Picture


Dealing with a nuisance Woodpecker

Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat.

Those $!&% woodpeckers are pecking at my house again! What can I do?

Woodpeckers with their striking black and white plumage and sometimes red heads and clown faces can be a nuisance. Their natural behavior is to peck at trees for insects, store acorns or make nests or roosting sites. Sometimes they mistake your house for a tree and peck holes in your siding.

There are three reasons woodpeckers might peck at your house. Foraging is commonly suggested as a reason but is usually incorrect. Please check areas woodpeckers are using for insect damage, make repairs and see below for methods of exclusion. Next is drumming to announce territoriality usually during the breeding season from February through July.  Songbirds sing during breeding season and woodpecker drum. The last reason is the destructive activity of excavating a nest or roosting site.

Every woodpecker makes a roosting cavity, generally in a tree. That’s every woodpecker. Here in the foothills, many of us have a lot of trees on our property. Sometimes the trees die and the first thought is to remove them. Don’t do that. Woodpeckers like “snags” or old dead trees for roosting sites. So leave that dead tree, preferably about 15 feet of it, just for the woodpeckers. Maybe they will use the tree instead of your house.
If they haven’t already started on your house but they are in the vicinity, create an invisible barrier to keep them away. Hang lengths of monofilament nylon (or fishing line) a few inches out from the undersides of the eaves. Space them every four to six inches along the side of your house and reaching almost to the ground. Use a metal washer on the end as a weight. The lines create a screen that will keep the woodpeckers away but will essentially be invisible to you and your neighbors.

If you don’t mind a solution that is more obvious, hang Mylar streamers (from your local feed store, hardware or party store) about 10 inches apart covering the damaged area. Strengthen the tape by attaching duct tape or nylon packing tape to each end. Tack or nail to the soffit just under the gutter, twist the tape six or seven times and then attach at the bottom but leaving enough slack for the tape to move in the breeze. The movement of the streamers will keep them away.

Bird’s Away Attack Spider is a battery-operated device that is activated by sound. An approaching woodpecker will cause the black spider to drop down an 18 inch string and make a loud noise. The woodpecker is scared away and the spider is then automatically retracted up the string.

If the woodpeckers are attacking your house, the first step is to check for a nest. It is illegal to damage or remove a bird nest. If no nest exists yet, stop them from returning by hanging a large sheet of plastic over the area of the nest or where they have attacked. They cannot get a foothold on the slick plastic. This only buys you a little time to erect a properly sized birdhouse or nesting box over the area they are excavating. A bluebird house is perfect for a downy woodpecker; you will need a larger one for flickers and other larger woodpeckers. If the nest is already in place, give them time to rear their young and let the young disperse. Then follow steps above to prevent them from returning.

The bird house should have a rough finish so they can get a good grip on it. Remove any perch and fill with wood shavings (like hamster nesting material). The shavings will be excavated by the woodpeckers and dropped outside the box, part of their natural behavior, instead of them pulling out your insulation. If you clean the box after each season, they may use it again the next year.

Woodpeckers are great to have around. They eat lots of beetles and other garden pests. We just need to help them be good neighbors.

Tri County Wildlife Care, a local nonprofit started in 1994, is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife and helping our community live in balance with wildlife. They envision a world where wildlife and people thrive together. For more information call (209) 283-3245, or visit pawspartners.org.
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  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • The Rusty Fund >
        • Rusty's Fund History
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
          • Think Biodegradeable
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2020 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
      • TCWC Supporters
      • Sponsor a TCWC Critter
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Paws News
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    • Newsletters >
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      • A-PAL Newsletter
      • ShelterPartnersNews
    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
      • Our Volunteers
      • InMemoriam >
        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits