Sarah, I don't know about woodpeckers, but I had to deal with a squirrel and rot issue by replacing all my exterior wood with Hardie board. One of the better moves I ever made.
I think the woodpeckers may choose house siding based on the color of the siding. My dark brown sided house was totally ignored by them, but my neighbor’s gray sided house had to be patched every year.
That's Hi-larious! Though I can sympathize. One of the apartments I lived at attracted a woodpecker one spring and it drove me nuts. The new house has vinyl siding, but one of the trees in the back apparently had a bad case of the peckers as there are holes all over the one side. I haven't seen it since we moved in, thankfully. I hate the pocking peckers.
We haven't heard woodpeckers since we cut down the paper birch out front. Actually surprised we don't have more problems with woodpeckers because of the stink bug problem we have on the south side of the house. Better now that the giant sequoias are down, but still a problem. Our house is a light tan (ish) wood siding.
Woodpecker is one of the characters in the Guarani stories from the Gran Chaco region in Paraguay and Argentina, which tell about the world. There is one about how the birds got red color - though there are other stories about Woodpecker. (one is a deal Toucan made with Woodpecker to build him a nest, but that one is not this one)
In the Chaco, when it is hot and dry, each water hole is guarded by its owner. One was guarded by Seriema, who guarded it carefully from everyone who tried to take some water. The Chaco fox, a trickster, thirsty for a drink finally asked Seriema for a drink in spite of knowing how fierce he was. Seriema, remembering all the tricks the Chaco fox had been up to, offered to race the fox instead, with the prize being the watering hole. Chaco Fox jumped the signal and started before the Seriema could start, but Seriema with his longer stride beat the fox easily. The Chaco fox in his thirst and disappointment, tried to pick a fight with Seriema, who during the scuffle, kicked him into a cleft branch where he was stuck by lower parts. The fox cried out in pain and agony to be let free, but Seriema and all the other animals in the Chaco knew the fox's tricks and thought it was another of his ruses, so they stayed away. The fox was stuck there for four days until the whirlwind (a Duende or spirit) came through. The Chaco fox begged the whirlwind to pull him free, which the whirlwind did, without a pause.
The first thing the famished fox did when released was to eat every thing he could find, but he discovered that all the fruits that he ate fell out of his butt, which got left behind in the cleft stick.
The Chaco fox cried for help, and no one dared to get near him besides the golden bees, who brought him some wax they made, and stoppered him up. The Chaco fox was delighted and he found he could retain all he ate, so he thanked the golden bees, but later when he had to relieve himself, he found the wax fell off and he was in the same position as before.
The Chaco fox again cried for help, and this time the black wasps came to help him, and stoppered him with mud that they use for their nests, and the fox was delighted again, trying some fruit and finding the plug held tight. The fox began eating abundantly, but when he tried later to relieve himself he found that the black wasps forgot to leave any opening. Days went by and the fox's belly swelled and was about to burst, he rolled around in pain and crying, and this time all the birds wanted to help him, but did not know what to do.
finally, the woodpecker come up with his powerful beak and offered to help the fox by making an opening to help him relieve himself.
At this time all the birds were grey, since none of them had any color, and the woodpecker told the other birds to step back and leave some room for him to work. Some were polite, and others very curious and crowded in. The woodpecker insisted they move back, but they paid him no heed. when the Woodpecker began his work there was a sudden explosion and the birds were splashed by the fox. The worst splashed was Woodpecker himself, with his head and top-knot stained red, the most polite, the doves, were further away, and only got a little blood on their feet with the rest of their feathers, head and wing, remaining the original grey.
From that day, the birds got their red, and until this day when a bird approaches we know by how red it is, if it is curious, or not.
Your recent post about woodpeckers jogged a memory. It was about a newspaper article I read a long time ago. 50+ years or so when I lived in New Jersey. A local firm was having the same problem. Their building was mostly wood and was being damaged by the critters. They brought in a bird expert who then brought in a sound guy. They found a piece of equipment that emitting vibrations that the bird guy said sound like insects the woodpeckers liked. After they worked on it to dampen the vibrations the birds left them alone. I don't know if this is your problem but I thought I would pass it on to you.
Other famous titles:
The Woodpecker Pecks Twice.
To Peck and Peck Not.
The Old Man and the Woodpecker.
On the Practical Application of Quantum Tunneling Effects in Transdimensional Melanerpes Formicivorus Range Management.
(I think that last one is a real one.)
LOL
That first picture "needs" a caption of "Go For The Eyes"!
Since that woodpecker's eyes seem so big. 👀👁
Ouch! And no, I haven't had to battle woodpeckers in years! Obviously, they ARE after you... ;-)
And now the SONS!
Sarah, I don't know about woodpeckers, but I had to deal with a squirrel and rot issue by replacing all my exterior wood with Hardie board. One of the better moves I ever made.
I think the woodpeckers may choose house siding based on the color of the siding. My dark brown sided house was totally ignored by them, but my neighbor’s gray sided house had to be patched every year.
I asked my Midji-clone to make an angry woodpecker.
It... gave me woodpeckers.
Make of this what you will.
That's Hi-larious! Though I can sympathize. One of the apartments I lived at attracted a woodpecker one spring and it drove me nuts. The new house has vinyl siding, but one of the trees in the back apparently had a bad case of the peckers as there are holes all over the one side. I haven't seen it since we moved in, thankfully. I hate the pocking peckers.
We haven't heard woodpeckers since we cut down the paper birch out front. Actually surprised we don't have more problems with woodpeckers because of the stink bug problem we have on the south side of the house. Better now that the giant sequoias are down, but still a problem. Our house is a light tan (ish) wood siding.
This conjures up, in my carnal mind, what we used to say about Democrats needing prosthetic johnsons.
But you might try mixing a variety of shiny, flashy, and noisy additions. Poison, pepper spray, and other similar things are probably against the law.
Woodpecker is one of the characters in the Guarani stories from the Gran Chaco region in Paraguay and Argentina, which tell about the world. There is one about how the birds got red color - though there are other stories about Woodpecker. (one is a deal Toucan made with Woodpecker to build him a nest, but that one is not this one)
In the Chaco, when it is hot and dry, each water hole is guarded by its owner. One was guarded by Seriema, who guarded it carefully from everyone who tried to take some water. The Chaco fox, a trickster, thirsty for a drink finally asked Seriema for a drink in spite of knowing how fierce he was. Seriema, remembering all the tricks the Chaco fox had been up to, offered to race the fox instead, with the prize being the watering hole. Chaco Fox jumped the signal and started before the Seriema could start, but Seriema with his longer stride beat the fox easily. The Chaco fox in his thirst and disappointment, tried to pick a fight with Seriema, who during the scuffle, kicked him into a cleft branch where he was stuck by lower parts. The fox cried out in pain and agony to be let free, but Seriema and all the other animals in the Chaco knew the fox's tricks and thought it was another of his ruses, so they stayed away. The fox was stuck there for four days until the whirlwind (a Duende or spirit) came through. The Chaco fox begged the whirlwind to pull him free, which the whirlwind did, without a pause.
The first thing the famished fox did when released was to eat every thing he could find, but he discovered that all the fruits that he ate fell out of his butt, which got left behind in the cleft stick.
The Chaco fox cried for help, and no one dared to get near him besides the golden bees, who brought him some wax they made, and stoppered him up. The Chaco fox was delighted and he found he could retain all he ate, so he thanked the golden bees, but later when he had to relieve himself, he found the wax fell off and he was in the same position as before.
The Chaco fox again cried for help, and this time the black wasps came to help him, and stoppered him with mud that they use for their nests, and the fox was delighted again, trying some fruit and finding the plug held tight. The fox began eating abundantly, but when he tried later to relieve himself he found that the black wasps forgot to leave any opening. Days went by and the fox's belly swelled and was about to burst, he rolled around in pain and crying, and this time all the birds wanted to help him, but did not know what to do.
finally, the woodpecker come up with his powerful beak and offered to help the fox by making an opening to help him relieve himself.
At this time all the birds were grey, since none of them had any color, and the woodpecker told the other birds to step back and leave some room for him to work. Some were polite, and others very curious and crowded in. The woodpecker insisted they move back, but they paid him no heed. when the Woodpecker began his work there was a sudden explosion and the birds were splashed by the fox. The worst splashed was Woodpecker himself, with his head and top-knot stained red, the most polite, the doves, were further away, and only got a little blood on their feet with the rest of their feathers, head and wing, remaining the original grey.
From that day, the birds got their red, and until this day when a bird approaches we know by how red it is, if it is curious, or not.
Your recent post about woodpeckers jogged a memory. It was about a newspaper article I read a long time ago. 50+ years or so when I lived in New Jersey. A local firm was having the same problem. Their building was mostly wood and was being damaged by the critters. They brought in a bird expert who then brought in a sound guy. They found a piece of equipment that emitting vibrations that the bird guy said sound like insects the woodpeckers liked. After they worked on it to dampen the vibrations the birds left them alone. I don't know if this is your problem but I thought I would pass it on to you.