|
To prevent
damage under eaves, lightweight nylon or plastic netting can
be attached from the overhanging eaves to the siding of the damaged
building. To keep the birds from reaching through the net, leave
at least three inches between the net and the siding.
Aluminum flashing can be used to cover existing holes or to line
the corner or fascia boards of the house. You can paint it to
match your siding. T
hree Reasons
Why Woodpeckers Drill Holes on Houses:
Drumming Holes
Many siding types are potential instruments for woodpecker drumming
behavior. These include houses with aluminum siding, as well
as the trim boards and fascia boards of any wood, brick, and
stucco homes. Also attractive to woodpeckers are metal downspouts,
gutters, chimneys, and vents. Drumming behavior is often more
annoying than damaging, though it can be fun and informative
to observe.
Roosting/nesting
attempts along with drumming damage on cedar shakes
Roosting and
Nesting Holes
Roosting holes and nesting holes are most often begun in houses
that are in close proximity to wooded areas, have natural wood
or a dark-colored stain, and have either a clapboard siding,
a board-and-batten siding, a tongue-and-groove siding, and less
often, resawn shakes and shingles. Woodpeckers are more drawn
to redwood and cedar wood types than to composite wood or Masonite.
While excavating
holes, a woodpecker first digs through the outer siding, followed
by the sheathing and then plywood layers, directly into the insulation.
It is here that the nesting or roosting area is hollowed out.
It has been speculated that woodpeckers prefer to build their
holes in houses for a variety of reasons:
1 The heat that
is trapped in the insulation from the house awards extra protection
from cold weather.
2 The proximity of the hole to other trees grants extra protection
from predators.
3 There may be few to no suitable trees available for nesting
or roosting purposes in the outlying areas.
4 Houses are usually made from a soft wood into which woodpeckers
can easily dig.
Nesting holes
are usually built in the beginning of the breeding season between
late April and May. Roosting holes are usually built in the late
summer and fall in preparation for winter. Larger holes may be
surrounded by smaller half-finished holes, or by clusters of
tiny holes at corners, on eaves and on corner boards.
Copyright ©
2002 Cornell Lab of Ornithology
|
