[Wmcmanus]

I'm not sure what kind they are, but they sure are annoying! They've been pecking away at my house, and have been doing so for some time now, according to my house sitter who was here in Cayman all of April while I was away.

But to tell you the truth, I don't really care what kind they are! Even if they were on every endangered species list on the planet, they have got to die! I've called the animal control department of government and was told that when it comes to birds, there is really nothing they can do. So I've got to figure out how to exterminate them myself.

There are 4 or 5 of them as best I can tell, but never more than one at a time. They move from a tree in my next door neighbor's back yard to various spots on my house, then to power lines, then to another tree in another neighbor's yard, and then out of sight (presumably to bother someone else). In the immediate neighborhood, they're only bothering my house for some reason!

They've made about a dozen holes in the styrofoam bands that surround my windows. Some of these holes are fairly small (for now) but one is easily big enough for them to live/nest in. Some of the holes are in the bands on the front windows of the house, some in the back of the house, and some on the side walls. It seems to be quite random and impossible to predict where they will strike next.

But now it's getting worse! They are working on a new spot on my roof! I need to get a ladder out to see what kind of progress they've made and to do an inspection for other spots that perhaps we don't know about yet, but this is where it could get really expensive! Once they get far enough, there will be leaks and damage to my sheetrock ceilings, and they could possibly get inside of my attic at some point.

At this point, the repair costs would be somewhat modest. To fix the window bands, it would be easy enough, but since they're white and haven't been repainted in 12 years, it would mean repainting all of them to color match. Not exactly something that I want to do, and especially not before the source of the problem is permanently removed. In the meantime, I'll just have to live with the damage that they're doing because it's purely cosmetic other than whatever they've managed to do to the roof by now.

I'll try anything, but am not interested in catch and release ideas. Sorry if that doesn't agree with your politics, but birds have memories and Cayman is too small to release them elsewhere and be assured they won't find their way back. So I'm thinking catch and kill, poison to kill, shoot to kill, anything to kill.

I don't want to wake up at 6am for the rest of my life to the sound of some critter pecking away at my house, causing ever further damage and expense.

Unfortunately, no guns are allowed in Cayman, although it may be possible to get a permit for a BB gun which is all I really need. I'll have to check into that. It might take a while but it would surely be a pleasure hunt!

 

[Duggeh]

An air rifle would be my recommendation and once the birds are gone you'll be able to go plinking with empty Coke tins

You'l be able to get a .22 or .177 air rifle from anywhere from £50 to £1000. Don't know what that is in Ameropounds at the minute.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've successfully used strobe lights to drive squirrels out of an attic. Critters seem to hate those - maybe they'd work. I don't know if your neighbors would appreciate having them on outside, though.

Have you thought about a cat? You could always run a 2x4 (or other piece of wood) from the ground up to the areas where they're nesting. If there's easy access for a cat to the nesting area, I suppose they would not nest there.

How about putting up pieces of metal over the areas they attack? Get a piece of steel, have it cut to the size of the area to cover, paint it a matching color, then screw it in place. Kind of ghetto, but it will change their minds.

You could also electrify some chicken wire and place that over the damage areas. Hit the DIY Forum if you need tips on building an appropriate power supply.

Since you can't have firearms, try a slingshot or wrist rocket. If you haven't used one since you were a kid, try one as an adult. The wobbly pull (well, for me anyway) gives way to steadiness and power. With practice, you can become quite accurate. I mostly plink with one, but am pretty sure it'd take care of varmints, too. Try one with a bag of marbles or ball bearings.

 

[limpidglitch]

You took their old-growth, now they're back for revenge.

 

[milkweg]

This reminds of how last year I had a $300.00 car repair bill because a marmot decided to take up residence inside my car's engine compartment and chewed through some of the wiring. Before my car it did the same to a neighbours pickup truck. I poured bleach inside my engine area because I was told the smell might keep it away.
Eventueally it left the area or got eaten by a predator.

 

[Moontan13]

Air guns count as firearms in many places, and it's usually not allowed to fire one in city or town limits. A Wrist Rocket is sometimes a solution to animal problems.

 

[ClieOS]

This little guy is trying very hard to chip away my window glass for the last few months, which I have no idea why he keeps doing it. He (or maybe 'he' is a she?) comes back every morning to try his luck and usually gives up in 5~10 minutes, then returns the next day. Since he is the only one of his kind that does this, I assume he must have came from a cuckoo's nest or something

Attachment 16867

 

[apatN]

Haha I loled pretty hard reading the OP.

Just use an airgun, it'll get fed up if it doesn't die already.

 

[iriverdude]

Funny how people had a go at me, and someone is thinking about killing them yet that's ok.

Whatever.

 

[Al4x]

^ that is a fair comment tbh

dont kill the peckers, i like the green ones we get here

 

[ecclesand]

I have a woodpecker that fancies my aluminum gutters on the top of the house. He usually starts around 6am. You hear this superfast drumming sound that reverberates thru the whole house. Good times.

 

[milkweg]

Here's a woodpecker I saw just this morning while out for a walk. Don't know what kind it is.

 

[Homeless]

I work in a rural area and we had a similar problem. We ordered an ultrasonic emitter to drive and keep birds away from a company called bird X. May be worth a look...

 

[Permagrin]

Too easy:

Bobbing-Head Owl Decoy

I don't endorse said product just giving an alternative to unnecessary killing.

Good info here: The Downside to Log Home Living... Woodpeckers! - The Log Home Neighborhood

Make sure you check for insect infestation of course.

 

[Al4x]

thats the green woodpecker we have in the uk, my fav one