Drumming on dead and hollow trees can be heard from far away. These sounds act as a territory announcement call by woodpeckers.

Sometimes they will drum on a piece of metal attached to a house or telephone pole because the sound travels even further than on wood. Their pecking behavior is also their way of looking for food. By drilling their stout beaks into wood they can find insect larvae hiding under bark and crawling through dead wood. They also drill out nesting holes called cavities in dead trees.

Woodpeckers usually prefer to peck wood in the first stages of rotting for bugs that are found inside. If they are pecking on your house perhaps you should take this as a warning...and have the wood checked out by an inspector.

Tp prevent them from staying in the area, try placing a silhouette of a hawk or falcon in your windows and try an owl decoy on the roof or on a nearby fence to scare him off.

You may also want to try to spread a terrible tasting but non-toxic liquid (such as bitter apple available at pet stores and vets) in holes where they have already pecked and on surrounding wood. If they eat anything, it will taste bad and they will avoid it in the future. (works on dogs and cats so why not birds-they CAN taste!)

However, if you enjoy having these delightful birds around, you can encourage them to stay by providing suet (rendered beef fat) available at most pet and bird stores. Place it in a mesh bag or special holder available at bird stores and hang it near a window for easy viewing and where it is safe from cats. This acts as a good food source for them.

By providing them with bird houses of the appropriate dimensions and entrance hole size, you may be able to watch a family as it grows.

by Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. 1998