Birds Nesting In Cedar Siding

Another homeowner had woodpeckers pecking right through her wood siding and through the plywood underneath.

Birds nesting in cedar siding.

Roosting and nesting holes though similar in size and shape are specific to the type of siding in terms of their location on the house. Holes larger then two inches in diameter may be drilled by the woodpecker into the siding usually between the seam of the two clapboards figure 1. You may be able to prevent woodpecker drilling in your cedar siding by offering a tempting alternative at a distance from your structure. Woodpeckers will peck holes in wood and stucco to attract mates find or store food or establish a territory.

Use suet or bird feeders to lure woodpeckers away from your structure. If you have problems with birds on the siding of a home or business it s likely one of two common bird problems woodpeckers or swallows. When people ask me what the best thing they can do to avoid birds pecking holes in cedar siding my answer is get aluminum siding. It s a real fixer upper to say the least.

The birds promptly tore the insulation out and built a nest between the wallboard and plywood. Large holes like you are describing sound like roosting or nesting holes. Often these holes go through the siding and into the insulation. For three years now a woodpecker has made holes in our wood siding and other birds sparrows or finches i think have built nests in our walls.

Woodpeckers have been known to peck away at siding and tear out the insulation to make a hole suitable for nesting. Place bird feeders near trees or other wooden structures to encourage woodpeckers to take up residence elsewhere. Woodpeckers are more drawn to redwood and cedar wood types than to composite wood or masonite. Smaller birds have been known at times to nest in abandoned woodpecker holes.

In the last few months downy woodpeckers and squirrels have added some holes to the cedar siding of the building. These are most likely the beginnings of roosting or nesting holes. Unfortunately cedar siding seems to get a lot of damage from woodpeckers particularly if the house is adjacent to a wooded area. Holes in cedar clapboards are usually drilled at the seam of two adjacent clapboards.

I have a handyman coming in a few weeks and would like to have him seal up the hole s but for humanitarian and practical reasons i would like to wait until the babies have left the nest.