How to get rid of a Woodpecker

[bc-chris]

i was talking to a neighbour last week that had a woodpecker problem last year.
she did the reflective tape (silver on one side, red on the other) and put up a few fake owls

it seemed to do the trick for her.... the woodpecker is now at the neighbour's house two doors down!

[emti]

I have been in a war with with these ******** for 2 years. Since last year, they've pecked 10 holes in between mine and my neighbours siding and we've spent over $5k combined this year on 'deterrents'/pest control/sound machines etc... As many have mentioned, you can try doing reflective tape, tin-foil, cd's / dvd's but I have learned they are smart enough to realize it is just a deterrent and will be back eventually. I've yet to try wind chimes but that does sound like a good idea because they definitely are skittish.

I thought with how obsessed they were with our houses that we had bugs or something in our siding, so we got pest control to come take a look and they found no bugs and basically just told us unfortunately you guys have houses that these birds have fallen in love with for some reason or another. We got the pest control guy to install 4 'spinners' on the corners of our house and while they do work, you need it to be sunny and windy for them to function properly. We also have some fake owls placed on parts of our house that we rotate/move around because the birds realize they are just fake. I've found the combo of that does the best, but again, they may come back.

My neighbour is so fed up he actually bought a pellet gun but as others have mentioned, they are protected so it is illegal to shoot them and you can face serious fines/charges for messing with them. We have people in the neighbourhood who would 100% report me if I took care of them like how I would like to so I am stuck doing whatever I can to deter them everyday.

One recommendation I can make is to get that hole patched ASAP though. They are likely looking to nest/mate in the hole they are currently working on. Once they have zeroed in on a spot, they will be hell-bent to come back. Last year, 1 actually nested in my neighbours wall and it caused a total mess.

Hoping for the best for you. I cannot express enough how much I hate these birds.

[Paulie Walnuts]

THanks for tips. That seems like war to me emti.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Came into the thread specifically for juvenile dick jokes.

And I will happily deliver juvenile dick jokes, good sir.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

I nailed a couple slices of Hawaiian pizza to my siding, haven’t seen a woodpecker on my block since.

But the raccoons and stoners!! Whoa, you have to shake your wood ###### at them!!

[BlAcKNoVa]

I once rented a place in Canyon meadows for 5-6 years and every spring for a good month or so I'd get a very early wake up call from nuthatches hammering on the wood siding. After a couple years the homeowner re painted the siding to a blue colour from it's original brown and the two or three years I lived there after I had no issues.

Annoying little ####s for sure. I once went out there with a stick of some sort and when I turned the corner it was hanging upside down pecking away, it saw me and flew away which I attempted a half assed swing at it but missed lol

[DoubleF]

There's a few abandoned woodpecker holes on my neighbor's house. (It was on a light blue piece of wood if that makes a difference). My neighbor actually said that she believes the woodpecker left after there was more frequent BBQing when I moved in. But I assume it's a coincidence for noise and temporary smell?

A potential suggestion if someone has neighbors that don't keep to themselves... Could a bubble machine work? Make some stronger bubble mix with some glycerin and guar gum so it'll less likely pop from a light breeze. I think the bubbles also potentially help to keep certain bugs away?

What are they going to do? "Hello 911? These people are using machines to blow bubbles on their property again. Yeah there's kids jumping around popping them like it's a satanic cult. Make them stop."

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

What are they going to do? "Hello 911? These people are using machines to blow bubbles on their property again. Yeah there's kids jumping around popping them like it's a satanic cult. Make them stop."

Oh, I wish I could tell you that folks don't call for things like that, but...I'd be lying...

[Locke]

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

I have a somewhat similar situation. I have some kind of bird who likes to rapidly tap my chimney, making it sounds like someone is running an electric drill on the metal. This is not a woodpecker, am I correct? And how do I get them to go away?

That for sure is a Northern Flicker (which is part of the woodpecker family). They are famous for it.

Spoiler!

[topfiverecords]

I was very close to creating a little “birdhouse” dock for a drone in my backyard so I could send the drone after those jerks without getting out of bed at 6am while they hammered on my chimney caps.