Progress 10/01/99 to 09/30/05
Outputs
The goal of the suburban woodpecker project is to assess the causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and to test the effectiveness of different bird deterrents in reducing the damage. We completed the survey of homes in the Ithaca area as well as the analysis of these data. The results indicate that homes with wood siding stained with natural colors and located in wooded areas are much more vulnerable to woodpecker damage than homes that are non-wood, painted with white opaque paint, and located in grassy suburban neighborhoods. We finished conducting tests of the effectiveness of various bird deterrents using homes with ongoing woodpecker damage that we identified during the surveys. Deterrents include foil strips, models of predators, broadcasting of alarm calls, provisioning of suet feeders, and installation of alternative artificial roosting and drumming structures. Results indicate that the foil strips are the only effective deterrent. These results and information
about woodpecker control will be presented in a Cornell Cooperative Extension web site on wildlife damage management, and a brochure published for wider public dissemination. This study became the thesis research project for masters student Emily Germano Harding in the Department of Natural Resources. Emily presented her thesis research in a formal talk to the department last April, and the thesis was completed in May 2005.
Impacts
We have identified most of the common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and have already offered homeowners some initial suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds via our publications and Lab of Ornithology web site. Now that the results of the deterrent tests have been analyzed, we will be able to inform homeowners of the effectiveness of the common commercially available deterrents.
Publications
- Harding, E.G. & Vehrencamp, S.L. 2006. External characteristics of houses prone to woodpecker damage. Wilson Bulletin (submitted).
- Harding, E.G., Curtis, P.D. & Vehrencamp, S.L. 2006. Control techniques to limit woodpecker damage to residental homes. Wildlife Society Bulletin (submitted).
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
The goal of the suburban woodpecker project is to assess the causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and to test the effectiveness of different bird deterrents in reducing the damage. We completed the survey of homes in the Ithaca area and have been conducting statistical analyses of the house characteristics associated with different types of damage. A manuscript on this study is nearing completion. We continued conducting tests of the effectiveness of various bird deterrents using homes with ongoing woodpecker damage that we identified during the surveys. Deterrents include netting, foil strips, models of predators, broadcasting of alarm calls, directed application of insecticides, provisioning of suet feeders, and installation of alternative artificial roosting and drumming structures. Preliminary results are being analyzed statistically, and testing will be completed during spring 2005. These results and information about woodpecker control will be presented in a
Cornell Cooperative Extension web site on wildlife damage management, and a brochure published for wider public dissemination. This study has become the thesis research project for masters student Emily Germano Harding in the Department of Natural Resources. Emily will present her thesis research in a formal talk to the department this coming April, and both the thesis and the project will be completed by June 2005.
Impacts
We have identified most of the common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and have already offered homeowners some initial suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds via our publications and Lab of Ornithology web site. Once the results of the deterrent tests have been completely analyzed, we will also be able to inform homeowners of the effectiveness of the common commercially available deterrents.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
The goal of the suburban woodpecker project is to assess the causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and to test the effectiveness of different bird deterrents in reducing the damage. We continued to survey homes in the Ithaca area for woodpecker activity. We quantified the incidence of woodpecker damage and the characteristics of exterior surfaces and yards that differed for damaged and unaffected homes. Fully 43 percent of the approximately 1,000 homes inspected to date showed evidence of woodpecker damage, and an additional 10 percent of residents reported disturbance from drumming activity. Plywood, board and batten, and shingle siding were particularly vulnerable to damage from foraging excavations because these materials provide crevices in which certain insects can reproduce and over-winter. Clapboard and tongue-and-groove siding were more likely to attract woodpeckers for roost-hole excavation (Germano & Vehrencamp 2003). One possible reason for roost hole
excavation in homes is the thermal advantage derived from the insulation and heated interiors of walls. This strategy might allow the birds to maintain stable body temperatures at a reduced energetic cost. We therefore captured 3 hairy woodpeckers, implanted temperature-sensitive radio transmitters, and monitored their body temperatures for as many nights as possible while the birds roosted (in natural cavities). We did not find any evidence for facultative hypothermia, as described for some other species of birds under conditions of extreme cold. All birds maintained their nocturnal body temperatures at normal resting levels around 38 degrees centigrade regardless of the outside temperature. We initiated a series of tests of the effectiveness of various bird deterrents using homes with ongoing woodpecker damage that we identified during the surveys. Deterrents include netting, foil strips, models of predators, broadcasting of alarm calls, directed application of insecticides,
provisioning of suet feeders, and installation of alternative artificial roosting and drumming structures. Eight experiments have been completed so far. In addition, information about woodpecker control will be developed for the Cornell Cooperative Extension web site on wildlife damage management, and a brochure published for wider public dissemination.
Impacts
We have identified most of the common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and have already offered homeowners some initial suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds via our publications and web site. The lack of facultative hypothermia in this well-adapted winter resident contrasts with similar data on non-hole-roosting species, and contributes valuable comparative data on free-living avian body temperatures and nocturnal thermal strategies.
Publications
- Germano, E. M. & Vehrencamp, S. L. 2003. Hammerheads: Why woodpeckers drum on your house. Living Bird 22:24-29.
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
We surveyed approximately 2000 homes in several Ithaca neighborhoods for evidence of woodpecker damage. About 43 percent of homes in wooded neighborhoods such as Cayuga Heights sustained some type of damage. We found that certain types of siding, such as board and batten, grooved plywood, and cedar shakes, were more susceptible to woodpecker activity than others because they contain crevices for certain wood-dwelling insects. Woodpecker damage also increased as a function of the amount of wooded area surrounding the house and neighborhood, presumably because these areas contain higher densities of woodpeckers. Last spring we attempted study roosting body temperatures of hairy woodpeckers and surveyed territories at two sites, RingwoodPreserve and Sapsucker Woods. It was difficult to capture the birds using mist nets, even with suet and sound playback lures. We have some new capture strategies and will be continuing this part of the study in spring 2003. We will also
begin some experimental tests of woodpecker deterrents this spring. Our web page describing the causes of woodpecker damage to houses and listing some potential deterrent strategies has been posted and can be viewed at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wp_about/index.html We have identified the most common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and can offer homeowners some initial suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds. Future research will test the effectiveness of these control methods.
Impacts
We have identified the most common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and can offer homeowners some initial suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds. Future research will test the effectiveness of these control methods.
Publications
- Germano, E. and Vehrencamp, S. 2003. Hammerheads. Living Bird 22:25-29.
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
We surveyed approximately 1500 homes in several Ithaca neighborhoods for evidence of woodpecker damage. Approximately 25% of homes in wooded neighborhoods such as Cayuga Heights sustained some type of damage. We found that certain types of siding, such as board and batten, were more susceptible to woodpecker activity than others because they contain crevices for certain wood-dwelling insects. Woodpecker damage also increased as a function of the amount of wooded area surrounding the house and neighborhood, presumably because these areas contain higher densities of woodpeckers. Three different types of publications are being prepared: a scientific article on the nature of woodpecker damage in relation to siding and yard characteristics, a lay-person article to be submitted to the Lab of Ornithology's magazine The Living Bird, and a web article to be posted on the Lab's website detailing the sources of woodpecker damage and methods of control. We will be conducting the
studies of thermal physiology and core body temperature this spring.
Impacts
We have identified the most common causes of woodpecker damage to homes, and can offer homeowners a range of helpful suggestions for removing the source of attraction and deterring the birds.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00
Outputs
Funding was only obtained late last fall, so very little work has actually been done on this project. The first step is to survey homes which have been reported to have woodpecker problems. To that end, I am in the process of finding and hiring an assistant who can interact well with the public and develop a protocol for scoring woodpecker damage to dwellings.
Impacts
No impact yet, but we hope to assist homeowners in dealing with problem woodpeckers by providing species-specific tips for prevention or deterrence on the lab of Ornithology website.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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