This problem has been ongoing for about 2 years, probably should have posted sooner but.............anyway here goes.
We have a board and batten house, 20 years old, probably the wood was refinished maybe 7 or more years ago. The woodpeckers have decided it would make a nice place to make a hole and move in. Great, room and board - with the feeders so close!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first hole, we actually thought is was a squirrel until one evening we saw a DWP fly out. We covered up that hole and they just made another, which over the winter, we were away, the HWP moved into. Wait until nesting is done, then proceed to get them out of there. We did a relocation on one female and that hole looks like it is not occupied, gotta get it closed up.
In the meantime, another hole was done on the side of the house, so we put some cat hair in the opening, thinking that would deter them and had a Downy, Whitebreasted Nuthatch and Chickadee fighting over it!!!!!!!!! This one has been covered up.
My husband scanned the internet and one suggestion was putting up streamers with "eyes" in them, but that was late last year and cannot really tell if it worked.
A Downy has been at work at a new hole in a new place, and we bang on the wall and it goes away, but comes back and we are not here all the time, so merrily works on his hole, and if you go out to chase it, it hears you coming, cannot seek up on it. My husband recently bought the "Owl" from Lee Valley and it seems to have worked for the old hole.
Sorry, this is abit long and we realized we have not been that diligent, but thought I would post it here, maybe someone has had similar experiences, advice, suggestions. I have taken my feeders down, as they were close to the house.
Thank you in advance for any info.
Regards,
Cynthia
