Kamloops, B.C., group testing solutions to woodpecker damage on homes

Miles Purden started noticing woodpeckers taking aim at his home in North Kamloops in 2020. 

They were pecking at his concrete home and nesting in his walls.

"When they're ripping out the insulation, you get tiny bits of garbage floating around," he said. "It could really do a lot of very expensive damage."

He's tried all kinds of things to get them to stop — reflective tape, noise makers, decoy owls — but nothing was working.

So, he called up Curtis Houston, who owns a birding hobby shop in town. 

Houston says it's likely northern flickers causing the problem. They're slightly bigger than a robin, he said, and need a bigger space for nesting. 

"Compared to the other woodpeckers, they actually do have quite a weak bill, so they often rely on other abandoned nests from other birds like pileated woodpeckers."

Now, Purden and Houston have launched a survey of Kamloops residents dealing with woodpecker woes to find out what's working and what isn't. 

Ann Nightingale, a volunteer with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory on Vancouver Island, says woodpeckers drill holes because they're either trying to attract a mate or looking for food. 

In particular, when woodpeckers are pecking away at metal, she said, it's likely they're trying to get attention from the ladies. 

"The metal actually makes a lot better sound than most wood surfaces," she said. "It's kind of like high school, right? The boys who are the loudest, then they get the most attention from the girls."

If homeowners notice small holes or bigger areas that have been damaged, she said, it's probably because the birds have heard bugs in the walls and they're pecking for food. 

"If you have woodpeckers doing that, I would strongly suggest that you have someone come and have a look to see if you might have ants in your timbers."

Nightingale said people can try putting things in the way of the spots woodpeckers are returning to, or try a flicker box.