topic Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck! in Community Chat

Hey eat someone else’s deck!

godi — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:08:16 GMT

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

SeaMaiden — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:12:14 GMT

they only do this on rotten wood or wood with bugs...

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

jlkz — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:16:50 GMT

About 3 years ago while in or FL condo, I awoke to what I thought was DH hammering on the back lanai. It was 7 AM, way too early for any of his projects !

Turns out it was an adult woodpecker who had his talons hooked into the screen outside my bedroom window. He was hitting bill on his reflection on the window atop the screen.

He did this consistently for a week....we put paper up, anything to stop his reflection. Well, his talons shredded the very large screen to pieces.

DH learned a new skill: how to replace a screen's mesh work !

Good luck with your visitor!

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

dancingwoman — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:49:21 GMT

@godi About 20 yrs ago we had just had a garage and studio built and they started doing this on our new siding..it was new and bug free...and they also do it on our wood stove pipe...sounds like machine guns..that they tend to do at sunrise....They are early risers..LOL..DW

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Desertdi — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:59:02 GMT

I have them in my yard....along with some crows. These guys can actually belt out a SONG on occasion!

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

DSD2 — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 18:40:52 GMT

Oh no!!!

I believe that while woodpeckers may find it easier to attack dead wood but they are happy to peck at living wood as well.

Sometimes they will persist for a few days and then others...

Several years ago, we had a woodpecker that was destroying part of the side of our home. We did everythihg we could, reflective hanging swirling strips, but to no avail. We had to patch up all the holes.

But there's been nothing since.

I hope your visitor finds another tree, away from someone's property/porch.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

goldensrbest — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 18:51:24 GMT

I have woods all around me ,i love hearing them, and seeing them.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Imaoldhippie — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 19:29:13 GMT

I believe thats a female, she has babies to feed.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

BlueFinch — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 19:39:32 GMT

I have a couple of Woodpeckers that love it when I put slices of apple on top of the back fence 2x4. But, I've seen them pecking away at perfectly good deck wood. Not rotten; no bugs in sight. I think they're just practicing . Gotta stay in shape.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Zhills — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:40:45 GMT

We have some that peck away on a metal pole!

Nice noise %#@$ at 6:30 am.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Twins Mom — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 21:40:40 GMT

I feel your pain. We had carpenter bees. Replaced with fake decking -now we have ground squirrel chewing on stairs. Can't get ahead of critters.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

on the bay — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 22:08:36 GMT

That is the biggest woodpecker I've ever seen!

I hear and see them a lot especially the redheaded ones.

This morning I heard a knocking sound on the roof and went to look for a woodpecker but it was a little finch/sparrow type bird who kept flying from the grass back up to the roof. I think she was trying to build a nest but then maybe gave up.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Spurt — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:11:42 GMT

@godi @SeaMaiden @Zhills

One morning I heard a hammering sound, I thought it was a neighbor....turns out it was a Woodpecker hammering on my metal gutters that are painted brown....LOL

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Icegoddess — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:32:39 GMT

If they are slowly pecking, they're usually going after bugs. If they are doing it rapidly, drumming, especially on gutters or metal like the tops of the stack coming out of your chimney, they are advertising their territory. They like metal because it's louder and the sound travels farther, thus a larger territory.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

shoekitty — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:47:22 GMT

I have never seen a wood pecker like that. I am in California, and I have seen two a couple years ago, banging away on the walnut tree, but he didn't look like that. He was smaller and kinda like woddywoodpecker., about the size of a blue jay.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Oznell — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:54:13 GMT

That is so cute, @godi , in the second shot where she turns and looks at you! You get such remarkable wildlife shots...

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

phoenixbrd — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:21:45 GMT

Beautiful photo, as always. Thanks for sharing @godi

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

Eileen in Virginia — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 01:02:53 GMT

Every so often, a woodpecker will peck on our metal gutters or chimney caps. The first time I heard it (around 7:30 in the morning), I thought someone was firing a machine gun in front of our house! I peeked outside and the street was empty, so I went out and there it was - as bold as brass. It mustn't have gotten any bugs because it flew right away.

Re: Hey eat someone else’s deck!

hckynutjohn — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 06:22:03 GMT

@godi

We have a lot of those wood eaters also. There are lots of trees, but they still like enjoy are roof. We bought and hooked 2 woodpecker blocks, that we put in cages to fit the block size, and now can even see them better. Plus, keeping more of our deck also.

There are also lots of Blue Jays enjoying them also.

hckynut 🇺🇸