A young woodpecker stunned himself on our back door this morning.
When he didn't object to my taking a few shots without a plate of glass between us, I decided he might need a lift into a low-lying branch. . .
the very idea of which was all he needed to send him soaring up to his usual height.
If this charming fellow grows up and decides to start pecking a hole in your house, here's what I've recently discovered. When the bird starts hammering away, we go outside and wave our arms and make a fuss and he flies away. We go inside, and he comes back.
ReplyDeleteSo last week I got the idea of hammering on the wall of the house inside, right where he is pecking, and I mean really banging for a long time. The bird flew away and has not come back. Useless information for city dwellers ... but I was happy to discover this technique. To follow through properly, it would be a nice touch to install a birdhouse for the woodpecker, but that is not on my agenda right at the moment.
We've had at least one woodpecker living in our back yard's woods for several years. So far the house hasn't been on the menu.
ReplyDeleteI did try the hammering technique with a rat who'd moved into the garage. I opened the door once, saw him up close, and never opened the kitchen door leading into the garage without pounding on it for several minutes so that he'd have time to make himself scarce.
We do have a problem with ants. I don't know how to communicate with them in any way that's nonlethal.
Let's hope he'll make his home not too close to you.
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