We have woodpeckers here too, but so far not pecking on my siding, only
fences. A couple of ideas come to mind though.. Amazon sells a battery
operate motion detecting rainbird sprinkler you might be able to aim at the
area so they get a good soaking. The other is maybe to just put some of the
black bird netting you get at the nursery in the area where they're pecking
to block them..

"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
...

My shop has become a target for woodpeckers and I'm fighting having them
burrowing holes in the siding. This isn't just a small inconvenience, it
is becoming a major damage issue. Has anybody found something (besides
shooting them -- not wanting to try that method to start) to get rid of
them. My folks found the following: http://www.kabatape.com but it's
mighty spendy. I suppose I could try real electrical fencing to
accomplish
the same thing by running the hot and a ground wire in close proximity.

Any experience or ideas would be welcome.

--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:13:45 +0000, Mark & Juanita wrote
(in article ):


My shop has become a target for woodpeckers and I'm fighting having them
burrowing holes in the siding. This isn't just a small inconvenience, it
is becoming a major damage issue. Has anybody found something (besides
shooting them -- not wanting to try that method to start) to get rid of
them. My folks found the following: http://www.kabatape.com but it's
mighty spendy. I suppose I could try real electrical fencing to accomplish
the same thing by running the hot and a ground wire in close proximity.

Any experience or ideas would be welcome.



No experience but a thought.
Maybe covering favourite pecky spots with something too compliant for 'em to
get any effective impact?

e.g. rubber, foam, carpet

or a set of stand offs made from wine corks or foam rubber cubes

or soft netting, again on stand-offs so beastie can't get the reach or
purchase to peck effectively..

ditto a grid of nails, connected by rubber bands or fine wire?


or a sign reading "free bird seed!" an ACME rocket sled and a pot of
super-everlasting-glue...

Bored Borg wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:13:45 +0000, Mark & Juanita wrote
(in article ):


My shop has become a target for woodpeckers and I'm fighting
having them burrowing holes in the siding. This isn't just a
small
inconvenience, it is becoming a major damage issue. Has anybody
found something (besides shooting them -- not wanting to try that
method to start) to get rid of them. My folks found the following:
http://www.kabatape.com but it's mighty spendy. I suppose I
could
try real electrical fencing to accomplish the same thing by running
the hot and a ground wire in close proximity.

Any experience or ideas would be welcome.



No experience but a thought.
Maybe covering favourite pecky spots with something too compliant
for
'em to get any effective impact?

e.g. rubber, foam, carpet

or a set of stand offs made from wine corks or foam rubber cubes

or soft netting, again on stand-offs so beastie can't get the reach
or
purchase to peck effectively..

ditto a grid of nails, connected by rubber bands or fine wire?


or a sign reading "free bird seed!" an ACME rocket sled and a pot of
super-everlasting-glue...

Flashing on baiting a squirrel catapult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2LtyelUr4 with bird seed.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

"J. Clarke" wrote in message

Flashing on baiting a squirrel catapult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2LtyelUr4 with bird seed.

Except that since a woodpecker can fly, it would be relatively ineffective.
Perhaps an automated plus size flyswatter instead?

Reminds me of the guy in US mid-west I read about. He makes a living using a
jury rigged vacuum to suck gophers out of the ground and deposit them
slightly dazed, but unharmed in a cage. After that they're relocated or sold
to pet owners as feed for hawks and snakes or other predatory animals.

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:23:17 -0500, "Upscale" wrote:


"mac davis" wrote in message
Find a log full of bugs and put it near your neighbor's house?

G You're bad!

Got some neighbours that you don't get along with Mac?

Neighbors? Watz neighbors?

Oh.. we do have a house next to ours, but they're snow birds...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Blue Jays and Wood Peckers fight. WP always win, but the air battle is
something to watch.

Our house used to look over a 50 foot drop (edge of a hill) and the area
was littered with coastal redwoods around 125-150 feet tall.

An open area bounded on all three sides by redwoods and one side the house
and more trees - was the 3-D battle ground.

Jays put acorns into holes in the redwood trees. They peck holes and press
in the nut. The acid pickles the worm within and the nut seasons. The next
year they come back and eat the acorns and replace them. These trees have
thousands of holes that your thumb can be inserted.

Peckers peck harder so they always win. But the flight was something all birds
sat out and just watched.

Maybe plastic snakes or plastic jays or a R-C Gatling gun!

Martin

Mark & Juanita wrote:
My shop has become a target for woodpeckers and I'm fighting having them
burrowing holes in the siding. This isn't just a small inconvenience, it
is becoming a major damage issue. Has anybody found something (besides
shooting them -- not wanting to try that method to start) to get rid of
them. My folks found the following: http://www.kabatape.com but it's
mighty spendy. I suppose I could try real electrical fencing to accomplish
the same thing by running the hot and a ground wire in close proximity.

Any experience or ideas would be welcome.

Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
Blue Jays and Wood Peckers fight. WP always win, but the air battle is
something to watch.


My friend calls Bluejays the biker gang of the bird world.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Jim Hall wrote:

We have woodpeckers here too, but so far not pecking on my siding, only
fences. A couple of ideas come to mind though.. Amazon sells a battery
operate motion detecting rainbird sprinkler you might be able to aim at
the
area so they get a good soaking. The other is maybe to just put some of
the black bird netting you get at the nursery in the area where they're
pecking to block them..


I'll look into that. That seems to be more cost effective than some of
the dedicated bird stuff like the spikes and other things -- those
solutions are downright expensive.


--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

Bored Borg wrote:

.... snip

No experience but a thought.
Maybe covering favourite pecky spots with something too compliant for 'em
to get any effective impact?

e.g. rubber, foam, carpet

or a set of stand offs made from wine corks or foam rubber cubes


Interesting thought, I wonder if that would deter them. Be easy enough to
try -- add some really fine sanding dust or something really bitter. hmmm


or soft netting, again on stand-offs so beastie can't get the reach or
purchase to peck effectively..

ditto a grid of nails, connected by rubber bands or fine wire?

There are bird spikes that are pretty much like that, but they are pretty
expensive


or a sign reading "free bird seed!" an ACME rocket sled and a pot of
super-everlasting-glue...

I like the way you think. :-)

--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

J. Clarke wrote:

.... snip

Flashing on baiting a squirrel catapult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2LtyelUr4 with bird seed.


Nice catch, I have seen that before but didn't make the leap to the bird
problem.

Dog food, they love dog food.


--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

"Upscale" wrote in message
...

"J. Clarke" wrote in message

Flashing on baiting a squirrel catapult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti2LtyelUr4 with bird seed.

Except that since a woodpecker can fly, it would be relatively
ineffective.
Perhaps an automated plus size flyswatter instead?

Reminds me of the guy in US mid-west I read about. He makes a living using
a
jury rigged vacuum to suck gophers out of the ground and deposit them
slightly dazed, but unharmed in a cage. After that they're relocated or
sold
to pet owners as feed for hawks and snakes or other predatory animals.

Oh yeah. Wallace and Gromit.

After all else fails you can get a permit to shoot them.

http://ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=423004

klaatu wrote:

After all else fails you can get a permit to shoot them.

http://ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=423004

Thanks, that has a link to the fish & wildlife service; I'll look into
that as well.



--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough

On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:44:55 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote:

klaatu wrote:

After all else fails you can get a permit to shoot them.

http://ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=423004

Thanks, that has a link to the fish & wildlife service; I'll look into
that as well.

We have grackles that will chew up fascia and soffit trim like a buzz
saw. A friend uses some kind of garden poison mixed with powder
laundry soap and smears that paste in the appropriate areas...works
real well.
Kenneth

Digger wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:44:55 -0700, Mark & Juanita
wrote:

klaatu wrote:

After all else fails you can get a permit to shoot them.

http://ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2723&Q=423004
Thanks, that has a link to the fish & wildlife service; I'll look into
that as well.

We have grackles that will chew up fascia and soffit trim like a buzz
saw. A friend uses some kind of garden poison mixed with powder
laundry soap and smears that paste in the appropriate areas...works
real well.
Kenneth

Bracka-frackin' grackles! We've got 'em all over the place here in
Austin. I don't know; maybe they're good for something (like keeping
down the bug population) but if they taste anything like chicken I'll
bet we could solve world hunger and still have plenty to go around.

--
See Nad. See Nad go. Go Nad!
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/