Thanks for the suggestions about my hardwood floors. I've put protection on my furniture and looking at products to keep them in good shape. I really appreciate the replies. I wanted to find that thread and reply but my FIOS has been off for a few days due to someone incompetent. My service was *accidentally* disconnected at the "main box" and I had to wait for a tech to come visit to find that out. Well, I got 90 days of free movie channels for my displeasure, so long as I remember to cancel it.
Anyway, in the last few days I've heard a woodpecker working away at my roof. What a racket they make and I can't even imagine the damage! Before the woodpecker I'd been looking into bird deterrents to keep away sparrows that nest in the soffet over the front door every spring and make a mess with their droppings, and was looking at owl decoys. I ordered one from Amazon that hoots and has a motion sensor and turns toward detected movement, but it came and the head was broken off. So back it went. I found a less expensive one that just has a bobble head but it's solar powered so that even if there isn't wind, it will still occasionally move its head. I put that on the front porch to hopefully keep away the sparrows.
Back to the woodpecker. Is there anything that can act as a deterrent to them? Also at Amazon i found streamers made from Mylar that has a holographic print and the movement in the wind and the reflected light is supposed to scare birds away. Anyone have any success with something like this? And where to place it?