Wendy's Question:
John: My good friend has a woodpecker (a flicker) that likes to peck on the side of her house every morning at 6:30 am. It is driving her crazy. The bird itself is beautiful, and feeds on her suet feeder along with many other birds but this is really annoying. It not only wakes her up, but her four-year-old child, too. What can she do? And do you have any idea why the flicker would choose her house over all the millions of trees she has?
— Wendy
John's Answer:
Wendy,
Your friend isn't alone. Each year a good many people throughout the country are startled from sleep — or momentarily freaked out — when a woodpecker commences hammering away on the exterior of their house. Many woodpecker species, from the small downy or hairy to the large flicker and the largest North American woodpecker, the pileated, will engage in this behavior.
One of three things is going on. Your friend's flicker is either “drumming,” looking for food, or making a serious run at building a nest. If the siding of the house is metal, or wood that's in good shape — meaning it's not badly weathered or dried out, with cracked, bare areas — the bird is almost surely drumming. If the siding is wood and is in rough shape, your friend's problem could be far more serious than a single woodpecker: there could be an insect infestation, which the flicker is trying to pursue. Soft, weathered wood siding can also invite exploration by woodpeckers looking for nesting sites, though this is less common, especially on an occupied dwelling.
If nesting or feeding is in progress, your friend's siding should have some visible damage. A flicker is a large, powerful woodpecker; if it has been trying to excavate a nest cavity or forage for insects, you should see some holes or gouges in the wood. If damage is found, your friend will want to launch an anti-flicker campaign immediately (more on this below) and also have her siding and walls checked for insects.
If there's no damage, the flicker is carrying out its annual “drumming” ritual. I suspect this is what's going on. Woodpeckers drum in spring, for the dual purposes of attracting a mate and declaring a territory. Each species has its own signature beat, the woodpecker equivalent of a songbird's call. For the next month or so, flickers and other woodpeckers across the US are drumming away. After this time, the racket should stop.
So why does the flicker prefer your friend's house to the many nearby trees? A flicker that seeks to drum is seeking just the right sound — the ideal volume and resonance and timbre (ha ha) — to convey its message. Preferences do vary from one individual to the next. This flicker has decided your friend's house is perfect for its musical stylings; the house has the right sound and the bird is “playing” the house.
How to send a troublesome woodpecker packing? There are many nonlethal options. One of the best is a “scare balloon.” This is a large, heavy-duty balloon, upon which is painted a face sure to strike terror into the heart of a flicker. Inflated with helium, the balloon can be placed near the bird's favorite spot on the house. Another possibility is mirrored tape, printed with holographic eyes resembling those of an owl. These and other repellents, including a nonlethal spray that makes windowsills and siding gooey and sticky, are available at farm- or garden-supply stores. Forestry Suppliers (http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/) has many of the items mentioned here.
Of course you can also do what I did last spring. Walking through my living room half awake one morning, I nearly suffered a heart attack when a flicker, perched outside on the ledge of a small square window, let loose with a jackhammer volley right on the glass. Once I settled down enough to realize what was going on, I noticed movement in the window. There he sat, tipping his head first one way, then the other. I snuck out the front door and over to the corner of the house, to within maybe ten feet of the bird. It was a nice, peaceful morning.
At the top of my lungs I yelled, “Leave at once and never return!!” This method was very inexpensive and entirely effective. And oh so satisfying.
