When the “company” of a bird during spinal fusion surgery, has been slowly destroying our covered front porch!
This is my first time starting a post, so please forgive me if I mess up. I don’t like computers and being 65 I never wanted to learn about programming and such. I just use it for bug ID, quilt patterns, and other items to make.
Ok, so I’ve been hearing a sapsucker or woodpecker outside my bedroom window ever since I’ve returned from the hospital 2-3 weeks ago. At first he was a nuisance, yet then I became use to his constant pecking. Lately it appears as there could be 2 birds at it. We’ve been looking at trees for holes and couldn’t find any that were as damaged as a hickory in the front yard. Rob went out a bit ago and he said he found the bird. I was excited to for him to send me a picture of it. Unfortunately he sent me this:
So he’s at the store now getting flashing to cover it up until we can get someone over to fix it. Of course I can hear the bird pecking away while he’s gone. I heard about hanging old CD’s that will reflect the sun when it spins in the wind as a safe and easy idea to scare birds away. So since these aren’t that high up and we have native trees all around, we’ll be hanging CD’s on tree branches! I have plenty of old Country artists that I can donate for the trees!
Don’t worry cuz we do love wildlife and encourage as many as we can when we had a 50 ft stream added to our backyard with a mini 1ft drop waterfall that can become a dry bed’pond” or if we keep the water level higher, it’ll be only 6” deep. The grandchildren love to walk in it and that’s one of the main reasons it was built. I was always walking in creeks in our neighborhood when I was very young! I’d spend hours looking for anything I could find. The stream is also all natural, no chemicals and is built to be a breeding habitat for dragonflies! They do visit as the closest park is a short walk from our neighborhood. We’ve had various species of dragonflies and Damselflies visit on bamboo perches we stick in the ground, tall grasses on the edges or the few dead branches placed over the stream. Birds use the branches and the rocks in the creek before and after they drink, to preen themselves so they are comfortable there. We do have a neighborhood Coopers Hawk that does like to get songbirds, yet our stream has a canopy of trees over it so hopefully they aren’t seen. by the Hawk. So far he hasn’t been around that we know of. When our German Shepherd was a small puppy, the hawk came close, yet we were all outside and ran and yelled loudly and waved our arms and scared him away. Whenever we have new young dogs, we’re always outside when he is. The stream has 4 lights in it that shine on certain rocks at night and we also have 3 up lights in trees behind the stream that make the whole atmosphere magical! We can sit on our screened in porch, with a favorite beverage, and listen to the stream as it tumbles lightly over the smooth stones. (Our German Shepherd is named, “Bailey —like the drink😉 We’ve never had it power washed as the owner says all his other clients prefer. Yuck! I want to see algae and snails and toad and frog eggs in the pond. The waters constantly moving and we never turn it off, even in winter so mosquitoes aren’t a problem.
So our front porch looks like:
and Rob will attach the flashing when it’s dryer tomorrow, rain all today. So it looks like time to put up those CD’s!!! This is going to be fun!
If anyone can possibly ID the bird by the destruction seen, I’d appreciate it. I’ll also try to get a picture. Our home is also completely cedar sided, so when pecker holes show it over the garage door, we continue to fill and patch, then paint. We don’t mind as we love where we are and when it’s time to move, these homes sell quickly! Within one day is not unusual and no longer than a week is the max! We’re the “hidden secret” in our area!!
Didn’t know where this should go and it’s just something I wanted to write. At first I did think they were pecking on the house yet the attached porch makes it seem as though it’s a bit further away, even though it’s right outside our bedroom! Time to roundup those CD’s, and I’ll let you know if it works even though the sun won’t shine today.
Enjoy your adventures! Mine are limited close to home for now, yet I’ll be out weeding my moss lawns asap!!! Cathy