Woodpeckers / Flickers

The Pileated Woodpecker is in our area and they are known for the good-sized holes they leave behind.  He is black, crow-sized with a flaming red crest and his head is black and white striped.  Sometimes they choose your house instead of a nearby tree.  What they are pecking for is food, nut storage, shelter or nesting site, for establishing their territories and attracting mates.  They will also choose substrates that make loud noise such as:  gutters, vents, metal siding, drain pipes, chimney caps, roof vents, etc.  This will go on several times each day and can continue for several days or weeks.  They will also drill a series of closely spaced holes just large enough to store one acorn in each.

As irritating and damaging as they are, they are federally protected.  So you nor I can eliminate them, you can only try to distract them.  Two ideas for trying to defer their destruction of your house is to hang strimmers in the area or there is a huge spider that you can buy that you mount on your house, when the woodpecker comes to do more damage his motion will trigger the spider to drop down, scaring the woodpecker away.  Not very scientific, but there is nothing we can do to prevent them from damaging your siding.

The Pileated Woodpecker will excavate a nest in dead wood.  They will attract females by drumming on the trees or your house.  Females will lay 3-5 white eggs once a year.  The incubation time is 11-12 days and after that the young birds will leave the nest about 28 days later.  Their diet is Carpenter Ants, beetles, other insects, seeds and suet mixes.  They are found in woods, wood lots, parks, gardens, farms and suburbs. 

Flickers are similar to the Pileated Woodpecker.  They have a black patch across its chest and usually brown barred back.