Replies

1. 
   jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Feb 21, 2002 05:23pm | #1

   *
   Shoot that hole makin' SOB before he hammers a few holes in the side of your house, like he did mine. I didn't mind the one who kept tapping our galvanized gutters a few years ago, we thought that was pretty funny, even if it was mildly annoying. But when I caught his big brother peckin' away at a baseball sized hole in my corner board there was nothing humorous about it.

1. 
   Ron_Teti | Feb 21, 2002 05:28pm | #2

   *Is it the one I seen in the documentry? If it is becareful. Woody isnt as dumb as he looks. From what I saw he is a crafty little devil.I agree with Jim. I dont know any other way.

1. 
   Stray_ | Feb 21, 2002 05:33pm | #3

   *There's a thread in the archives about this too. I've been told that making a slurry of cayanne pepper and spraying it heavy on the area they like to peck works. Never tried it myself.or How bout' tying a garden hose on the chimney directed at that spot. When you hear the pecking, sneak to the hose bib and turn on the spigot? I don't know how smart they are. Might take a few soakings for it to get the message across to him.12g. is probably the most effective, but probably illegal too (ie not a game bird).Good luck.

1. 
   charles_perry | Feb 21, 2002 05:47pm | #4

   *Someone should check for insects. Woodpeckers peck for food not pleasure!!!!Charlie

1. 
   Joseph_Calvetti | Feb 21, 2002 06:07pm | #5

   *I've read that male woodpeckers use the noise to establish their territory, so they're attracted to things that make a lot of noise when pecked, eg, chimbley caps. I once saw one perched on a slowly rotating turbine vent pecking away.

2. 
   Shoeman_ | Feb 21, 2002 06:13pm | #6

   *wonder what woodys response to a couple mouse traps would be

3. 
   Seth_Frankel_ | Feb 21, 2002 06:38pm | #7

   *Joe's right! I called a buddy of mine, a Smithsonian bird guy. He said it's a Northern Flicker and that they don't peck for insects, they peck to sound out their territory. They love metal because it makes a loader sound and I guess my chimney is like a huge metal congo drum!Now I just need to get something up their to discourage the 'lil bastage! Any suggestions for that anti-bird wire stuff?Thanks.SethPS. Too bad I can't shoot that thing. My Boulder, ultra-PC neighbors would have loved it!

4. 
   Ralph_Wicklund | Feb 21, 2002 07:06pm | #8

   *So if they peck for sound to mark out territory you need to get a bigger pecker to let him know this is your territory.

5. 
   Jeff_Clarke_ | Feb 21, 2002 07:47pm | #9

   *It's not pecking, it is i drummingto attract a mate.Click here for an effective pecker-fixer.Jeff

6. 
   Rich_Beckman | Feb 21, 2002 08:55pm | #10

   *If it's just there for the noise, seems like you could clamp a covering of some kind to the cap to quiet it down. Only need to do so until the bird figures out that its drum is broken. Maybe even just a couple of clamps on the side will tone it down.Rich Beckman

7. 
   jim_"crazy_legs"_blodg | Feb 21, 2002 09:56pm | #11

   *Yeah, you guys are right, no need for a 20 guage...a 410 will suffice.

8. 
   Ken_Drake | Feb 21, 2002 10:27pm | #12

   *Seth,We have the identical problem at our house. Woodpeckers we have ( south Texas ) are called Golden Fronted Woodpeckers, and they do exactly the same thing as your flickers. Drum on top of the chimney cover, which is Galvanized metal of some sort. It really doesn't bother us that much. Usually happens in the late morning or afternoon, so doesn't wake us up. And they don't do it very often ( we only notice it happening a few times each week). This is the second year for that damn bird, but at least he's not poking holes in the siding.If it really bothered me, I suppose I could find a way to discourage the little devil, but it doesn't. We find it comical, but if it happened more often, or at a time of day that was annoying, I'm sure we wouldn't see it that way.

9. 
   BrianGale | Feb 21, 2002 11:07pm | #13

   *Modified .23 cal MP5 lookalike with sound suppressor firing rubber bullets. I suggest you not stand in broad daylight with it in the front yard when shooting.

10. 
    Bill_Richardson | Feb 21, 2002 11:08pm | #14

    *I used to see/hear this when I lived in central NC. If it wasn't some protected species of pecker head it was a cardinal as I recall. I painted the galvanized chimney parts so the pecker head couldn't see what he thought was a rival. The cardinal pecked on glass and once again thought he was attacking a rival, some black window tinting fixed him last I knew. Both worked for me. Now Jeff Clarke's reply looks like a pretty good idea to me too, sort of like barb wire for birds. Good luck.

11. 
    r_ignacki_ | Feb 22, 2002 12:41am | #15

    *I wouldn't worry about woodpeckers, there's a new "south american" termite heading this way, which eats concrete.

12. 
    Seth_Frankel_ | Feb 22, 2002 01:08am | #16

    *Thanks for the tips. That website Jeff pointed out is just the ticket!Seth

13. 
    RichC | Feb 22, 2002 04:44am | #17

    *"If seth had gone right to the police...none of this would ever of happened!"(for all the Woody cartoon fans out there!)

14. 
    scott_carnegie | Feb 22, 2002 10:15am | #18

    *My neighbor had this problem. He went to the local nursery and bought an inflatable owl about 2 feet tall. This scared the pecker away. The cayanne pepper will not work on birds. They don't have the heat receptors in their mouth that other animals do.

15. 
    Jeff_Clarke_ | Feb 22, 2002 07:42pm | #19

    *I ain't scared a no @#%&**#@ed plastic owl!Woody

16. 
    Just_Another_Guy | Feb 23, 2002 04:32am | #20

    *Great, now we'll get a thread about woodpeckers popping inflatable owls...I suggest a bare wire perch next to the chimney. Every time he pecks (completes the circuit) woody gets a little jolt. Of course it may take some eletrical engineering, but it would be gratifying to set up. I would even go so far as to put a light on top of it. Would be kind of entertaining to see the light go on with every peck...

17. 
    Marko_F | Feb 25, 2002 08:20pm | #21

    *I had a woodpecker getting his rocks off on my metal ridge vent. He finally ended up making a hole in it and needless to say I found out when the water was coming on over a bedroom window inside the house. The water was running down a rafter, and down the wall. I tried so many times to get the little critter with my BB gun, but I failed. Then winter came and he went. I'll be looking for him again in the spring.....

2. 
   Seth_Frankel_ | Feb 25, 2002 08:20pm | #22

   *
   I've got a big 'ol woodpecker that every morning is trying to punch a hole in the galvanized cap on my chimney (I can't imagine he's going to find any grubs under there). The chimney goes right through the bedroom. Any suggestions or sources for that spiky bird wire you see under bridges?

   Thanks. I'm going nuts!

   Seth

   PS. My wife won't let me take out the 12 gauge.