Woodpecker Nesting in Siding

[cybercat]

A woodpecker has hammered through the wood siding on the east side of our house--in the back--wayyy up where we need a longer ladder than we have to reach the hole. He was made a perfect round "birdhouse" hole. It took him a lonnngg time, like a few seasons. (He shows up usually when I am not at home ...so I forgot about him for a long time, and what was a few bare wood spots became a good-sized hole.) This house once had termites, so I am not unhappy about having a woodpecker around, but not altogether happy about the hole in the house either.

My questions:

1. What is between the siding and the drywall? Is there insulation there, usually? (This house was build around 1960, in a suburb.) Any chance he might come right through he drywall?

1. What are the downsides of letting him nest there? (Moisture getting in the walls, I imagine .. there is a good sized eave/overhand, but rain is not always completely vertical, so I see how it might be a problem). I do like animals and am not anal about coexisting with them, but I want to be a responsible homeowner, too. We will eventually want to unload this place on somebody.

2. It is time to get a big ladder, as we really need to clean the gutters ourselves, and remove some ivy that has grown up fairly high. This house is a typical split level, and the hole is in the wall of the master bedroom. What kind of ladder should we get, how long, for all purpose stuff like gutter cleaning and examining woodpecker holes and such?

1. If you had a woodpecker family nesting in your house, what would you do? What are my alternatives? We had bats living in the top of the attic for a while, having flown in through a kind of vent up there, and we called bat guy who put up screening while they were out so they moved on. That was kind of different because their droppings came down on the patio. The woodpecker nest is on a side of the house where nobody ever goes. Which come to think of it is probably why the woodpeckers like it there.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

I would leave him. Proly not the greatest thing for the house, but proly not the worst, either. If he has made a nest, it's proly pretty protected from the elements, so no real leaks should occur. I love woodpeckers. They are so neat, cute, and odd. More like a privilege to have him. You can always fix the hole later, when he leaves.

[m Ransley]

Maybe the reason he made a hole in the first place is termites or other insects.

[Joseph Meehan]

I tend to agree, but I would check with the local bird people (you may find one at your city parts or university or bird food store etc. Identify the specific type of woodpecker and determine their nesting habits. I would want to maybe provide a better, more acceptable, spot for them - it.

Avoiding nesting time or a critical survival time for them, you may be able to cover the hole by mounting a nesting box over it.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

"Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in message news:huD2h.244$ [e-mail]...

Psssst.....just between you and I, nobody says "proly" any more. It's not cute. It's not creative. It's not cool. It's nothing.

[jah213]

First thing I would do is determine whether the woodpecker is indeed nesting. Some woodpeckers make a pretty good-size hole in search of food (and will work on it repeatedly if it's been a productive spot), and some make holes to cache things (e.g., acorn woodpecker).

Woodpeckers nest seasonally, to raise young, not for general housing. If you determine it really is nesting, find out the nesting cycle and when the final brood of young have fledged, cover the hole.

Jo Ann

cybercat wrote:

[HeyBub]

Modest correction: It's not: "He has made a perfect round..." It's SHE has made a perfect round..."

Humans are one of the few species that build the nest....

I'd talk to your local bird experts and I'd try to find a way to both ease my concerns AND accommodate the bird. She's just trying to get by, same as the rest of us.

[RicodJour]

If it's only one hole, it's a nest. If they're poking holes all over the house, you have a hidden food source.

At some point the woodpeckers (there's no such thing as one), will start advertising for mates. This usually consists of drumming. If you want to hear a god awful racket, check out an advertising woodpecker drumming on an aluminum downspout. This is a common problem and it gets on peoples' nerves very quickly. If you think woodpecker drumming is cute, I guarantee that your neighbor won't like _your_ cute woodpecker's antics.

There are several ways to get rid of woodpeckers that are not harmful to the pecker. Some people use a plastic owl or other bird of prey to scare away the woodpecker. There are also noise activated plastic spiders, big ones, that climb up and down a wire in response to the noise. This is very effective in stopping the drumming - at least until the pecker finds another location nearby.

Start with the owl.

R

[jah213]

Psssst...just between you and me, "just between you and I" is grammatically incorrect.

Jo Ann

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

rote in

[JoeSpareBedroom]

You're right.

Jo Ann

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

[cybercat]

Yes, it is just one perfect hole, a nicely done bird-sized entrance.

Helpful information, thank you.

[cybercat]

Good advice, all. I really like the idea of a bird house over the hole! I think the first step is a ladder so I can look in there and see if it has nesting materials in it, or if we have termites up that high. (I think the latter is unlikely. Especially since, yesterday, I heard, instead of the drumming, a whole bunch of cute little peeps like the birds "talking" to one another. I imagined the woodpecker bringing the family to inspect the house. Or mate, or something. There was more than one bird in that hole, judging from the peeps. It was very cute. (These are small woodpeckers, with just a bit of red on their heads, Flickers, I think is the name. They come to the nearby bedroom window and seem to be eyeballing me from time to time!)

Thanks to all, you too, Joann!

[cybercat]

I thought I mentioned that--when we bought this house eight years ago, the inspector said there was evidence of past termite damage, and that the owners had a contract with a termite service. I thought I renewed it, but apparently not.

That said, this looks like a house.

I guess I will find out as soon as I get a ladder long enough to take a look.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

"proly" proly saves a shitload of typing. Ackshooly far more efficient than contractions, such as "you're"... Oh, it's usenet, bruhs, usenet....

[MRS. CLEAN]

It's pretty important that no one know you "got rid" of the woodpecker.

You might end up in jail.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Your typing is atrocious. "Proly" achieves nothing.

"Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in message news:AdK2h.105$ [e-mail]...

[jah213]

Actually, Flickers are on the large-ish side when it comes to woodpeckers. Here's a picture of a Flicker excavation (handily shows a Flicker, as well):

The perspective isn't great in that picture, but Flickers can approach the size of small crows.

If your woodpecker is small, you might want to consider Downy:

According to the info I have, Flickers do not reuse nest cavities, so if yours is a Flicker, it probably won't return after completing this cycle, if it's nesting.

Jo Ann

cybercat wrote:

[Proctologically Violated©®]

Sure got a rise out of you. Proly you should look into the reasons why this is so. Group Therapy worked for me. Did wonders for my sex life. Turns out sex cures virtually all problems known to man, except for bein broke. And then, iffin yer goodlookin enuff, can proly cure DAT. Sex don't help STDs, tho.

[RicodJour]

I only suggested non-harmful ways, so I'm not sure why you're getting your knickers in a twist. The suggestion of jail time suggests you believe that all woodpeckers are protected.

The red-cockaded and ivory-billed are the only two woodpecker species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Considering that the ivory-billed was thought to be extinct until only a short time ago it's probably safe to assume the pecker in question is not one. The red-cockaded woodpecker excavates nests in living trees (only woodpecker species to do so) and lives in social groups. It's not one of those either.

If you were referring to the Migratory Bird Conservation Act or the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, there are indeed a wider variety of woodpeckers that fall under their protection. As I am not suggesting the OP hunt them, take eggs (if any), disturb the nest, or start a black market trade in the single woodpecker they've seen, those laws don't apply.

R

[Proctologically Violated©®]

I have an idea Mrs. Clean was just yanking some chain. Man, looks like some of these home repairs are really taking their toll on a few people here. :)