Woodpeckers!!

Lately my Husband and I have been disturbed each morning by woodpeckers. I have been searching for 'do-it-yourself' help on-line. My Husband and I are both disabled with limited incomes and can not afford to hire exterminators. BY THE WAY, THE WOODPECKER IS A PROTECTED BIRD AND INJURING OR KILLING THESE BIRDS IS ILLEGAL!!! So, we are trying to find a way to get rid of these birds without hurting them or killing them. Any suggestions? Thanks...

 

You need to tell us what they are doing. I had one that would drum on the metal cap of my chimney during mating season...but he never bothered the wood on the house.

Dec is not mating time....so if he's going after something on the house...there may be an infestation of some sort.

 

You could consider placing a suet feeder nearby.
If cost is an issue you could search for instructions on making a simple feeder and you can make your own suet.

 

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Some tips here.....

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Or here.....

Stop Woodpecker Damage - Tips for Controlling Woodpeckers


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Oh the joys of endangered pests.
We have a woodpecker who loves our cloths line pole (good old dryed wood). The whole town can hear him pound on it.

Our cat ended the noise issue pretty quickly. Wasn't one of the endangered ones btw.

 

Not sure if you have them or not, but carpenter bees will bore vertically into soffits and rake boards and then sideways to lay their eggs. No secret to woodpeckers, they enjoy the delicacies by tearing through your wood to get to them, leaving a virtual mess of the lumber.

 

I don’t know of any good options other than the one that you may not be allowed to do.

Make sure that you have a positive identification of the woodpecker. With that info, go to a local agricultural county agent or equivalent and learn as much as you can. Here in Pa. it would be a Penn State Extension Office in every county. Different geographical areas have differing problems and solutions in some cases and this may be one of them.

The carpenter bee suggestion is good, but the larvae matured and hatched out around September, at least here in the East. I’m not sure if the adults will overwinter in the structure or not.

Wish I had more to help you with.

 

Northern Mike, I don't know about Canada but in the US ALL songbirds that are native to the country are protected. Woodpeckers are considered songbirds as are crows. The only non-native birds I can recall at the moment are the English sparrow and the European starling.