Woodpecker Deterrents

by Alex A. Kecskes

You invited friends and neighbors over for your annual Super Bowl party, and before the game, everyone went outside to watch the kids play, enjoy the BBQ and relax. The bad news is that your neighborhood woodpeckers also invited all their friends over—to party on your new wood patio and gazebo. And it seems they’ve been doing it for a while, since your wood now looks like Swiss cheese. Which brought out some choice remarks from your partygoers, like, “Hey, Bud, you got a woodpecker problem?”

As luck would have it, all the talk before the big game was about how to get rid of woodpeckers. This included all manner of off-the-wall suggestions like BB guns, propane cannons, firecrackers, and bird poisons. Needless to say, your better half was not a happy camper. And you got an earful after everyone left. In fact, your after-party “honey do” list got a lot longer. The list now includes, “Replace those hole-riddled beams and get some serious woodpecker control!”

So you do what the man of the house must: you consult the bird control experts. And soon, you become somewhat of an expert yourself, learning that there are as many as 22 species of woodpeckers in North America. The most common being the Downey Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, and the Northern Flicker. You further expand your knowledge by discovering that most woodpeckers are attracted to earth-tone or natural-colored stains and paints (which describes your patio cover).

You also discover that woodpeckers like to feast on the very insects concealed in your patio beams. It’s no wonder the little peckerheads were drawn to your patio. Finally, you learn that there are two effective ways to deter woodpeckers from your patio, your gazebo and your home (you’re lucky they didn’t attack your nice wood siding). The two woodpecker deterrents include:

Sonic Woodpecker Deterrents

These devices are easy to set up and will scare the pants off woodpeckers. They broadcast bird distress and predator calls that resemble everyday bird sounds, so they won’t annoy pets or your friends and party guests. One bird sonic system currently available can emit distress and predator calls for 22 different species of birds—so no matter which woodpecker species you have, they’ll get the message and leave. The best sonic bird deterrents will have a built-in speaker, come with a volume control and be programmable to turn on or off at night.

Visual Woodpecker Deterrents

For optimum results, and since woodpeckers have already laid claim to your patio cover and property, you should also consider adding some visual bird deterrents. These include banners that snap in the breeze and reflect sunlight, which makes woodpeckers feel very nervous, and bird scare balloons covered with large predator eyes to make woodpeckers feel observed and hunted by large predators. Visual bird deterrents are relatively inexpensive and easily installed just about anywhere. They even add to the party atmosphere.

by Alex A. Kecskes

You take great pride in the appearance of your home. You paint it, replace or repair the siding, and maintain the shutters. After all that work and expense, you don’t need woodpeckers defacing your home with holes and unsightly marks. But it can happen--if you don’t implement effective woodpecker deterrents.

As many homeowners have painfully learned, woodpeckers can drill holes into wood siding, window frames, eaves, trim and fascia boards. They often hammer cedar and redwood siding until it looks like the surface of the moon. If you have a façade or decorative fir, pine or cypress, they’ll attack that too. Regrettably, woodpeckers prefer new construction and rustic, channeled plywood with cedar or redwood veneers. Many a homeowner has been saddened to discover the tell-tale narrow horizontal line of holes on the side of their home as woodpeckers forage for insects. These birds will even go after the plastic parts in your rooftop solar panels. Without effective woodpecker controls, your home is at the mercy of these pests.

As if damage to your home wasn’t enough, woodpeckers can drive you crazy with their incessant drumming--especially in the springtime. They seem to love to bang away at the hollow areas where their drumming makes the most noise. That includes your metal rain gutters, downspouts, chimney caps, TV dish antennas, rooftop plumbing vents, and metal roof valleys. Ask any homeowner with a woodpecker problem: these birds will drum all day long, week after maddening week.

It’s enough to make you want to whip out the BB gun or even bird poisons. Unfortunately for you and fortunately for them, woodpeckers are migratory, non-game birds that are fully protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In fact, the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) are both listed as Endangered Species and cannot be touched without incurring the penalty of law.

Fortunately for you, there are a number of effective and humane woodpecker control measures you can use to solve most woodpecker problems.

One widely used woodpecker deterrent is lightweight plastic bird netting. This method works because you’re physically excluding pest birds from specific areas.  Birds simply can’t get at your property. Plastic bird netting typically comes in several mesh sizes to block out various size birds. For most woodpeckers, you’ll need a 3/4-inch mesh size. If you’re concerned about the appearance of bird netting, high quality netting is now available in various colors to match your home's exterior.

When installing the netting, be sure to leave a 3-inch space between the netting and the area to be protected. You don’t want the birds to drum their beaks through the mesh. You can also install bird netting to the overhanging eaves, then swing back to your exposed siding. For best results, secure the netting tightly to prevent birds from getting behind it.

To streamline the installation of bird netting, one manufacturer offers a bird netting kit. These kits include bird net hardware to help match any job. Things like perimeter cable, which can be set up around the area to be netted off to ensure that there are no gaps for birds to enter, and that the netting stays taut. The kits may also include netting hardware--items like cable crimps, turnbuckles, intermediate attachments, hog rings, and accessories and tools to ensure a correct and lasting installation.

It’s sometimes best to add additional deterrents to your home (in addition to netting). Combined, two woodpecker control approaches create an effective solution to the woodpecker problem. For example, consider installing some visual deterrents like banners that crinkle in the breeze and reflect sunlight. Or balloons emblazoned with large predator eyes to intimidate pest birds. For best effect, visual woodpecker deterrents should be moved around often so birds don't get used to them.

Above all, it’s important to be proactive and install these woodpecker controls and deterrents before the birds arrive.  Once these birds have “set up shop,” it’s pretty hard to get rid of them.

by Alex A. Kecskes

Woodpeckers often do a lot of damage to vacant summer or vacation homes. Regrettably, it's not until your siding resembles Swiss cheese that you finally realize you have a woodpecker problem.

The birds will drill holes into wood siding, window frames, eaves, trim and fascia boards. Woodpeckers generally like to hammer cedar and redwood siding. They'll also attack fir, pine, and cypress in a pinch. And they'll choose natural wood surfaces over painted wood. They seem to zero in on new construction and rustic, channeled plywood with cedar or redwood veneers. The birds will create holes in a narrow horizontal line looking for insects. If you have plastic parts in your rooftop water-heating solar panels or electrical solar panels, woodpeckers can cause you plenty of grief.

Then there's all the drumming these annoying birds do. Woodpeckers seem to enjoy drumming in the springtime and choose wood and other areas where their drumming makes the loudest most resonant sounds. Areas like metal rain gutters, downspouts, chimney caps, TV dish antennas, rooftop plumbing vents, and metal roof valleys are common targets. The birds will drum intermittently all day long—for weeks, even months at a time.

If they drove you nuts last year, you may be tempted to shoot them or poison them, but be warned: Woodpeckers are migratory, non-game birds that are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In particular, the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) are on the Endangered Species list and cannot be touched under penalty of law.

All is not lost, however. For there are effective, humane woodpecker repellants you can use to keep these annoying birds at bay.

One of the most effective methods of excluding woodpeckers from damaging wood siding under your eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird netting over the area. Plastic bird netting comes in a variety of mesh sizes and a 3/4-inch mesh is ideal for most woodpeckers. Leave a 3-inch space between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot drum their beaks through the mesh. You might also try to attach the netting to the overhanging eaves, and then reverse back to the siding below the damaged area. Be sure to secure the netting tightly so that the birds have no way to get behind it. The good thing about most bird netting is that it now comes in various colors to match your home's color scheme, so if you install it correctly, it virtually disappears from view.

You might also try to install some visual woodpecker deterrents like banners that crinkle in the breeze and reflect sunlight. Balloons work too, especially the one's with large predator eyes on them. For best effect, these woodpecker deterrents should be rotated so birds don't get used to them. Woodpeckers are pretty smart.