It was a typical Tuesday afternoon, I had returned to my dorm room after a long day of classes and labs. Okay, I had two classes and one lab, but for a college student, that’s a lot. Anyways, that is most definitely not what this story is about. I had returned home, and all I was looking forward to was taking a nice three-hour nap before I had to go to work. I had it timed out perfectly so that by the time I got home and actually fell asleep I would be able to sleep for three hours and have 45 minutes to get ready for work and get there with ten minutes to spare. As a med student, this hardly ever happened. Unfortunately, my dreams were about to be crushed. I walked into my dorm to see my roommate quietly studying in the other room, headphones in. Peace and quiet, just what I needed. I had just put my bag down and fell onto my bed when all the sudden: RATTATATATATATAT!!! I shot up in my bed, what on earth was that sound?! I walked over and peeked into my roommate’s bedroom, but he was still diligently studying. Deciding it was probably just someone passing by, I went back to my bed to resume my nap. I couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes when again I heard: RATATATATATA. I jumped up out of my bed and marched out into the hallway to see if some passing frat boy was just being dumb, but no one was there. I resumed my spot on the bed, this time staying diligent, with the intent of catching whoever was making the sound. I was only silent for a few moments and again came the sound RATATATATAT. It was coming from outside my window! I ran to the window and threw it open and when I looked down, I identified my attacker. It was a red and black spotted woodpecker. The bird looked up at me, I was sure it felt guilty about drilling into the stucco of my dorm building. Because I knew just how destructive woodpeckers could be, I immediately called our building attendant to take care of the mess. Unfortunately, I never got my nap.
Tag Archives: noisy woodpecker
Get Rid of Woodpeckers
I swear, if we don’t get rid of those woodpeckers, I might just go insane. Not funny insane, like in the old cartoon show, but actual crazy angry. I’m all for bird watching, going on long hikes in the mountains and looking for deer, and leaving things in their natural habitat. But, my house is my house. What’s wrong with the woodpeckers around here? Why can’t they enjoy the many, many trees on our property? Or, how about the berries out by the creek that runs through our back yard? The other birds seem to like it just fine, and find enough bugs to feast on. So, why can’t they? Maybe it’s time to just get rid of woodpeckers if they can’t play nice.
(Artwork by Sharon Davis. Contact us for her contact info.)
I’ve got a nice home on a quarter-acre lot, which is perfect for me. Instead of opting for an expanse of grass that I’d have to mow as I get older, I went for a more natural, forested look. Every year, I plant tulip bulbs and daffodils out under the mature trees on our property. In the evening, I sit out on the deck of my small home and listen to the creek burbling and watch the birds flitting, and I sip my drink and think I’ve got a wonderful life. I even put out a couple of bird baths, a hummingbird feeder, and a few bird houses and feeders to make the wild life feel welcome.
And, if I’m ever going to enjoy watching birds from my deck again, I must get rid of woodpeckers.
They start out early in the morning, when I’m trying to sleep in. A knock-knock-knock against the roof above my bedroom. I run outside to try to scare them off, but they just fly into a nearby tree and pretend nothing happened. As soon as I get back inside, the knocking starts up again.
And, they do help themselves to the berries. That’s sure. Wanna know how I know? There are reddish streaks decorating the side of my home. Right next to the holes appearing in the stucco. If it was just the knocking noise that bugged me, I wouldn’t care so much. But, destroying my house in the process? Come on.
I don’t want to kill them, don’t get me wrong. I just want to get rid of the woodpeckers. But, I can’t figure out how. And, I’m angry, too. I’m sure they have access to plenty of bugs in and around the trees. Why does my home attract them more than their natural habitat? Is it the warmth? I can’t figure it out, and I can’t scare them away.
A friend told me that Allstate Animal Control will send an expert out to my house to get rid of the woodpeckers. Not only that, but they could get someone to fix the damage the woodpeckers caused. Now that’s service.
So, a quick phone call, an appointment scheduled, and maybe I’ll be able to enjoy my quiet little haven once again.
Woodpecker Problems
Who says woodpeckers are problems? As a squirrel, I like to think of myself as an opportunist, and following the birds sure makes my life easier. Look, I’m as happy as any other creature, living in the wild. I’ve got my trees, my fruits and nuts, plenty of twigs and nesting materials. I’ve got it good, right? But, when I follow the birds, life gets even better!
Human nests are the absolute best. They put out food for the birds and I get to feast to my heart’s content, after figuring out how to get at it, of course. Oh, and the eggs! Humans are so funny, cooing over any bird nest they find, feeding the mommy bird with seed and hoping to catch a glimpse of a baby bird hatching. I just don’t understand the fascination with watching baby birds at the edge of the nest, mouths gaping open begging for mommy’s attention. Eggs are for eating, not watching.
Every now and then, though, I get to follow a woodpecker. Those birds will sometimes find a human nest that makes the most wonderful sounds when it pounds on the side. With its beak, it will chip and tap away until it makes these holes everywhere. Often it’s just looking for food or a mate, so the holes aren’t that big. Well, they’re big enough for the humans to get mad. I suspect the humans get mad at other things the woodpeckers do. They stain the human nest with their droppings and I don’t think humans like the tapping sound. So, the humans grumpily walk around the outside of their nest, yelling and upset at the woodpeckers, but the woodpecker usually comes back unless the humans do something drastic. They think they have a woodpecker problem, but I think the woodpecker is doing me a favor.
Every now and then the woodpecker will make a hole just large enough for me to get inside. If it’s not large enough to begin with, sometimes I’ll just rip and tear at it to make it slightly larger. And then, oh, paradise awaits me3! Those woodpecker holes let me gain access to a huge, warm den filled with nesting materials. There is plenty of wood and plastic for me to gnaw on to keep my teeth down, sometimes there are boxes with human things inside and I like to explore. And, it is a safe place to have my babies. They just curl up in the warmth and quiet. I can run in and out of the woodpecker holes to forage for food and come back and take care of them. When they grow up, they’ll possibly end up using the same space for their own nests.
So, no, I don’t think woodpeckers are a problem. I think they provide all kinds of wonderful opportunities for me!
Get Rid of Woodpeckers
(Artwork by Sharon Davis. Contact us for her contact info.)
It is a beeeeautiful day to be alive – who on earth would want to get rid of woodpeckers? It’s sunny but not too warm, there are gentle breezes to soar upon, and lots of wonderful bugs flying and crawling everywhere. The bushes are full of gorgeous bright berries. Yes, siree, it is a marvelous day.
I stride to the end of the branch and cock my head. I’m hungry, and there are so many choices before me. I glide down to a nearby bush, grab a berry or two to swallow whole, and then get back to my tree to look for the best and most beautiful insects. My eye spots a bee, zeroing in on a house, and I watch to see where it lands. My wings spread and I swoop off my branch and onto the breeze, up, up. My feet grip the side of the house and I grab the bee up in my beak. Juicy!
Hmmmm. I move my feet around on the house and take a tentative peck. Yes, yes, that gives very nicely. I cock my head again and assess my find. First, my pecks are making delightful holes into a wall that gives way, not easily, but well enough. If I work at it, I might just get through to the other side and find a warm cozy place to nest. Second, I hear the happy sound of bees. Obviously, they’ve decided to make this house their home as well. Oh Ho! A place to make my own with its own food supply. Does it get any better than this?
Over the next few days, I breakfast on bright red berries in the morning and then snack on bees throughout the day as I make several holes in the walls, looking for a way through to the other side. My droppings are making streaks of bright red and brown down the side of the house. This is truly going to be my house.
Unfortunately, there may be other obstacles to overcome. Not everyone enjoys my percussion as I try to tap my way through to the warm attic. Somewhere in the house, a dog is barking at me as I proceed. Every now and then, someone charges out of the house yelling about how to get rid of woodpeckers, but I just fly away until they go back inside, and then I resume my work. Once I set my mind to something, I just can not let it go! Besides, with a feast of bees and this glorious wall to tap full of holes, why would I want to go anywhere else?
Once a mouse climbed up and checked out one of my bigger holes. I guess I’m not picky about my neighbors. If a family of mice wants to use a hole to get into the attic, too, I guess that would be okay. As long as they kept to themselves! This is going to be a lovely neighborhood. Unless, of course, someone decides to get rid of woodpeckers.
Get Rid of Woodpeckers
It is a beeeeautiful day to be alive – who on earth would want to get rid of woodpeckers? It’s sunny but not too warm, there are gentle breezes to soar upon, and lots of wonderful bugs flying and crawling everywhere. The bushes are full of gorgeous bright berries. Yes, siree, it is a marvelous day.
I stride to the end of the branch and cock my head. I’m hungry, and there are so many choices before me. I glide down to a nearby bush, grab a berry or two to swallow whole, and then get back to my tree to look for the best and most beautiful insects. My eye spots a bee, zeroing in on a house, and I watch to see where it lands. My wings spread and I swoop off my branch and onto the breeze, up, up. My feet grip the side of the house and I grab the bee up in my beak. Juicy!
Hmmmm. I move my feet around on the house and take a tentative peck. Yes, yes, that gives very nicely. I cock my head again and assess my find. First, my pecks are making delightful holes into a wall that gives way, not easily, but well enough. If I work at it, I might just get through to the other side and find a warm cozy place to nest. Second, I hear the happy sound of bees. Obviously, they’ve decided to make this house their home as well. Oh Ho! A place to make my own with its own food supply. Does it get any better than this?
Over the next few days, I breakfast on bright red berries in the morning and then snack on bees throughout the day as I make several holes in the walls, looking for a way through to the other side. My droppings are making streaks of bright red and brown down the side of the house. This is truly going to be my house.
Unfortunately, there may be other obstacles to overcome. Not everyone enjoys my percussion as I try to tap my way through to the warm attic. Somewhere in the house, a dog is barking at me as I proceed. Every now and then, someone charges out of the house yelling about how to get rid of woodpeckers, but I just fly away until they go back inside, and then I resume my work. Once I set my mind to something, I just can not let it go! Besides, with a feast of bees and this glorious wall to tap full of holes, why would I want to go anywhere else?
Once a mouse climbed up and checked out one of my bigger holes. I guess I’m not picky about my neighbors. If a family of mice wants to use a hole to get into the attic, too, I guess that would be okay. As long as they kept to themselves! This is going to be a lovely neighborhood.
Woodpecker Removal
When will my people finally DO something and call a woodpecker removal service??? As a cat, I own this place. I know all the best napping spots, the warmest windows to sit in, and exactly how to annoy the dog. It is most upsetting to hear this constant tap-tap-tapping on the roof, on the walls. That noise invades my beautiful dreams of chasing bubbles and nibbling cat nip.
You cannot imagine how crazy I get, staring out the window at the source of that awful noise. There it is, a beautiful big bird, a woodpecker, listening to the scrabblings of spiders in the walls and taking out little notches from the house. I chatter and try to climb the window, but the bird doesn’t even care. It just goes about its business like I’m not even there. If only I could get outside and climb that wall!
It is definitely time to get some woodpecker removal people out here. Even the stupid dog is starting to go crazy. Admittedly, it’s fun to watch him jump and bark at the ceiling. He runs around in circles, ears laid back, yipping and whining. Sometimes his barks even scare the bird away long enough for me to settle back down and close my eyes for a bit. But, then, that annoying scrabble as the woodpecker lands on the house again, the tip-tap-tip-tap starts up, and then he goes at it in earnest. TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP!! Really, how is a cat supposed to stretch, quietly knead the blankets on the bed, yawn and sleep when this racket is going on?
And, I doubt my people have even thought of what could happen next. Never mind the awful noise, and the smelly bird droppings. The holes in the house will probably be a pain to fix, but they’d better fix them, because those holes will let in all sorts of other creatures. Spiders, bugs, squirrels, mice . . . wait a minute! Hmmm, if some of THOSE get in here, tasty, tasty meals await me! Ah, the thrill of chasing a mouse from room to room, catching it, letting it go and run through the children’s room with whatever diseases it’s carrying, catching it again, toying with it before I finally chomp down on the delicious little creature . . .
On second thought, I really hope my people don’t get around to woodpecker removal. Those holes the woodpecker leaves behind could really work out in my favor!