Tree house?

Kept hearing a knocking in the kitchen this morning. Couldn't figure it out.

Happened to go outside to the side porch and there was a tiny woodpecker pecking at my recently painted cedar shakes on the corner of the house. He had actually pecked a few spots free of paint! Turns out he's been at it for a while.

Why would he be doing that? I don't have bugs or anything - the shake is like new.

Anyway, how do I stop or deter him? I thought of putting up some kind of plastic or something.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Apparently it's not uncommon for woodpeckers to become pests.

I found a website for you that might have some good suggestions:

www.coopext.colostate.edu...

Thanks MM.

My wife just told me to hang a pie tin/plate from a string with something to make noise in the wind where the bird is pecking.

(I was thinking electrified fence, laser beams or reactive armor plating myself. )

That's a great site, btw. Never would have thought that these birds would peck on a house because of the 'resonant' qualities. I'm quite sure there's no infestation attracting him since they're cedar shakes with a thick coating of paint.

Again, many thanks to you!

[edit on 27-10-2007 by Badge01]

I just like to google. Glad it was helpful.

so your house has interesting acoustic capabilities -- if one is a woodpecker.

Yes I suppose it has to be the hollow sound, which the website said was typically used to attract a mate.

I noticed it once in the late Spring, but when I went out to look I didn't see anything.

This time I spotted the culprit. He wasn't the red-white-and-black variety, but a rather small blue-white.

Examining the corner of the house I notice about four long thin spots where he's pecked the paint off the shake.

I hope he hasn't made it into a habit, since they say one the behavior is patterned, it's hard to discourage them.

Update:

OK, unlike those (ahem) other forums, on BTS we have photographic evidence:

Here he is on the corner of the house next to mine:



He's done a lot of damage there, pecking several large hole in the siding:



I'd say he's now a menace to society!

get him with a sling shot

that should scare him off without severely injuring him

Hmmm ... that pic is so blurry it could be anything. Are you sure it's a woodpecker and not a reptilian?

I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Next time it comes around spray the little bugger with a hose. Birds can't like being sprayed by H2O.

Your gunna have to get some filler in those there holes, so therefore a few more holes aren't gunna take too much more work.

Time for some pump action.

Give the little bugger the ol' Click-Clack Boom.

MonKey

[edit on 29/10/07 by ChiKeyMonKey]

yeah, thats no good.

there are a couple spots on the back/side of our house that was clearly a hole at one point and was patched. it looks like it was packed with this gummy type crap. matches the color of the house.

i wonder if the same thing happened here.

i don't know what to tell ya. i'd hate to hurt the little fella but i would if it was messing my house up.


last summer i was having trouble with squirrels. i wanted to get rid of them but i didn't really want to hurt em.

i got a knock off 9mm airsoft gun(shoots plastic pellets)...i had my son shoot me in the back with my shirt on, then shirt off to see how it felt to make sure it wouldn't kill or really hurt em.

i shot several of them last year with that little gun and they seem to get the hint.
those little airsoft deals are only like $15 and it won't even break their skin.
they are not accurate but also safer than a pellet/bb gun
if you miss with a bb, it 'could' pop a hole in a window or something but these plastic deals no way....

i would try that but then again, i have the time to camp out in my back yard like a sniper, waiting to tag em.

i like to figure these animals have as much of a right to be here as i do but, i paid long money for this house and sometimes you just have to step aside

There's a reason why god invented BB Guns.

reply to post by lombozo


same reason scince gave us the abilities to make airsoft guns with plastic pellets?

Technically, I think it was Clarence Hamilton who invented the BB gun.

Is that god's real name?

Originally posted by MajorMalfunction
Technically, I think it was Clarence Hamilton who invented the BB gun.

Is that god's real name?

maybe thats where the H in 'jesus h christ' somes from

reply to post by lombozo


First, it's probably illegal to shoot a woodpecker in my State.

Second, I respect my winged neighbors:

Like I said spray it with the hose!