So in these instances, I turn to the other higher power and solver of all problems...Google.
Yesterday, I Googled the following phrase:
woodpecker pecking on house
That's right folks. We have a woodpecker that keeps pecking on our metal gutters. And he hasn't chosen one of the gutters on the side of the house opposite our bedrooms. No! He has chosen the gutter right outside of Sarah's bedroom window.
And his favorite time to peck - 7:20am. He's very punctual, especially on the weekends when we are trying to sleep in.
Last weekend after the pecking started, Sarah let out a blood curdling scream and yelled, "There's a monster outside my window!" You could actually hear the fear in her voice.
You could hear something else in mine.
According to my Google search, this pecking is actually called "drumming" but I think "jackhammering" would be more descriptive. And apparently woodpeckers have discovered that metal gutters make a much louder and more appealing noise, than say, a tree.
And guess what else I learned? They use this drumming to let other woodpeckers know they are searching for a mate.
So drumming on my gutters in the wee hours of the morning is the woodpecker equivalent of "Hey, pretty lady, what's your sign?"
I will be sending Dan up the ladder this weekend to inspect the gutter for damage. If there isn't any, then we will be hoping that Woody will go away in a couple of weeks, as one article stated would most likely happen.
If there is damage and Woody doesn't go away after he finds his soul mate, then don't be surprised if you see my husband standing outside of our house in his pajamas on Sunday morning with the water hose, a roll of chicken wire and some sheet metal.
Because, apparently, it's against the law to shoot a woodpecker.
23 comments:
Fun for you...NOT! I so hate early morning noises that wake my children!
I hope he goes away soon!
We had this happen to us too.... it is so annoying because it SO loud (and yes I remember ours being very prompt too!). We put a rubber snake near the spot the woodpecker was pecking and it seemed to work. I have also heard that those ugly plastic owls work if you get one that kinda moves so it scares the woodpecker. I feel for ya!
No early morning wake up call by Woody would be good! Especially when it gets up the wee ones. I know my grandparents used the owl method. It worked. Good luck.
I like the water hose idea!
Oh those wood peckers can reek havoc especially when they don't let ya sleep!
Best of luck!
So funny Beth. SO So Funny. Not in a drumming at 7am way... but in the way you told the story. HILARIOUS.
I so hope that woodpecker finds a new area to drum FAR from your bedrooms. (From your house in fact. )
Good luck. And... in the event the hubby is outside on a Sunday morning in PJ's with a water hose and other woodpecker catching items... I WANT PICTURES.
I'm sorry I'm laughing...because I'm sure it is NOT FUNNY at 7:20am....but the mental picture of your husband standing outside at dawn with a water hose aimed at Woody Woodpecker is just too hilarious!
I love to see woodpeckers in our trees, but I wouldn't be too happy to hear one either! Especially at that time!
You need to pray for Woody to find true love and QUICK !
And should he continue to jackhammer ... we want photos of the pajama clad husband !! The mental image you gave was enough to make me laugh out loud !!
Oh dear!!! I hope he goes away for you, soon!
LOL! Hey pretty lady!! ;) Good luck with your woodpecker problem.
Oh that stinks. 7:20? That is not RIGHT! :)
Maybe you can buy one of those big, fake owls that you see on billboards and stick it on the corner of your house. I bet that would do the trick. :)
Terrible...give that thing some home-training.
Really funny.
Oh, yes, we just discovered this happening, too - on the metal pipes that extend above our chimney to vent our gas fireplaces. Which explains the weird, metallic rumbling sound we'd hear coming out of the fireplaces - I'm just glad we figured out what the problem was before we called the serviceman.
We've had this same problem...not fun! But at least our woodpecker was "drumming" on the garage side of the house - but it was still loud! And yes, they like the weekend early morning hours. Good luck! :)
So he's an early morning Woody? I know - very poor taste but I couldn't resist.
I'm sorry I know it's not funny but I am laughing a bit at your story. I'm with you on not wanting the loud noises in the morning. Maybe he'll get lucky soon and meet his soul mate.
Lucky you. I guess he thinks getting up before 9am is what everyone is doing these days. If he was human he would know that we need our sleep. Hopefully he will find a mate soon and live happily ever after, somewhere far away. My parents had a woodpecker years ago in a tree about 15 feet from the house and you could hear him loud and clear. I think he eventually just went away. Good luck with yours and I hope he goes soon.
A monster, that is too funny. I'll bet at 7am I would think it was a monster too. I scare easily. I probably wouldn't of even looked out the window, just called my hubby to look. I scare so easily that one time I was watching "Paranormal State" about the Mothman and made my daughter wait for me outside the bathroom because I didn't want to go upstairs alone.
We had one here and he finally left. He was pretty annoying especially at nap time. No one could sleep and we just kept praying he would find a new location :) Good luck!
WE had a woodpecker growing up! It was maddening!! And he was nothing if not punctual.
That sucks...maybe you could put an ad on an online dating service for woodpeckers? lol
This is so funny! And I share the pain. I have a beautiful red-headed woodpecker who pecks on my gutters (above my bedroom window)every morning for the past week. Everytime I run outside he flies away. This morning at 6:30 a.m. I ran outside (in my boxers) and he was clinging to the gutter (and jackhammer is an appropriate comparison). Funny thing is, there was another woodpecker on my neighbors gutter at the very same time! Where can I get some rubber snakes??
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