A sound we could do without
Has early morning drumming on the side of your house been waking you up? Do you wonder what the ruckus is all about?
It may not be Woody, but it’s a woodpecker. Woodpeckers love to drum and they all do it as a form of communication. Drumming attracts a mate and signifies territory. The birds especially love to drum on gutters or siding because the sound reverberates louder.
Fortunately this woodpecker trait occurs mostly in springtime, so we don’t have to tolerate it much longer. If you’re concerned that they’re drilling a nest hole in your siding, listen for a drumming sound that is louder, slower, and continues for a long period of time.
All woodpeckers belong to the Picadae family and are handsome birds. The most common in Spokane County are the downy and hairy woodpeckers, and the northern flicker. If you’re lucky, you may even see a pileated woodpecker with its beautiful red crest. These birds are arboreal, meaning they live and find most of their food in trees. We often know a woodpecker is close when we hear the slow, deliberate beating or pecking at tree trunks to gather insects. They also consume millions of annoying pests, including carpenter ants.
Tips for discouraging woodpeckers
•Put out a plastic owl or snake – the birds figure out quickly that it’s a fake, so you’ll have to move it around a lot. Try hanging pie tins, pin wheels, wind chimes and aluminum foil. They’ll discourage the birds, and you won’t have to move these items around.
•Cover the entire area with a plastic sheet, and only tack the top down. The bottom will flap in the wind and discourage the woodpecker.
•Cover areas that the woodpecker may be resting on, such as a crack or ledge.
•Spray the area with a mixture of water and cayenne pepper. Birds and most animals dislike the taste and smell of cayenne. Please do not use repellent products such as Tanglefoot, Roost No More or Bird Stop. These products may kill the woodpeckers, along with other birds in your yard.
Be bird friendly
Consider letting the birds stay for now. Later in summer, when you’re sure the young birds have left the nest, immediately repair the opening, and plug any other holes around the house with caulking or wood filler.
Leave dead trees or limbs on your property if they aren’t a safety hazard; they offer great nesting sites.
If you can’t leave wood around, buy or build a nest box/house for your rhythmic buddy. Fill it with cedar shavings to deter other birds.
Although woodpeckers aren’t feeder birds by nature, they’ll take a free meal if it’s available. One of their favorite meals offered by humans is suet, a fatty substance with nuts and seeds mixed in. You can buy suet at the supermarket and add your own nuts and seeds, or you can buy ready-made suet cakes at your local pet, feed and hardware stores.
A simple wire box to hold the suet cakes and the cakes themselves are relatively inexpensive.