Donate SIGN UP

Woodpeckers

Avatar Image
lafrancaise | 22:31 Sat 22nd Apr 2006 | Animals & Nature
10 Answers
Does anybody know how to stop a woodpecker from pecking into the wood beams of our pergola? Also what is the best way of filling the massive gaps it's left.
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 10 of 10rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by lafrancaise. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
I think its great to see woodpeckers in the garden, but that dont help your pergola doing a swiss cheese impression dose it ? How about hanging a nut feeder to maybe tempt them with a more taistier treat, cant garuntee if it will work but maybe its worth a try. Good Luck.
Sorry, I missed the 2nd part of the question. You could fill the gaps with woodfiller 'thixofix' is one i've used. Just an idea but I'd have a close look to see if the woodpeckers are feeding on wood boring insects in your beams.
I think were all shooting in the dark here (no pun intended) but along with Thunderbird+'s good suggestion, I have found that woodpeckers are quite wary of owls. It wouldn't cost much to find one of the shiny foil owl cutouts at a DIY store. It's their profile that scares the woodpeckers and the ones I've used are about 18 inches tall. They're meant to be hung where air currents will cause them to ripple. I've used colored (matching the wood tone) all weather spackling to good affect to fill the holes left by your visitor. It can be finished to get even a better tone similar to the wood you are using. It could be that the mating season is still going on and the woodpecker maybe drumming for territorial purposes rather than seeking bugs that have bored into the wood. If that's the case, perhaps it will end soon. At any rate, best of luck!
Meant to say, you're up a little late aren't you Thunderbird+?...
What!! is that the time ? Bit ot a night owl myself Clanad, time to hit the sack and dream up some more answers...yawn.
Question Author
Thank you both for your answers. I'll try hanging nuts up and fixing an owl to see if that deters it. Actually, the owl is at the bottom of the garden and i've heard it all winter long, if I'd known what it was doing I'd have done something about it earlier! The posts are 6in thick and I've only got 3in left in the middle of one post...
Question Author
Not the owl, the pergola!! sorry I'm not with it this morning!
Well! I never knew that woodpeckers ate nuts! Learn something every day!
Question Author
Don't they, Heathfield?
Apparently they will in winter. I just never knew that!

1 to 10 of 10rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Woodpeckers

Answer Question >>