stop woodpecker from pecking at window

There has been a small woodpecker pecking at my great room window and we're afraid it's going to do some real damage. The window is quite large and thick but his bird is strong. Why is he doing this and what can we do to make it stop?

Woodpeckers, like other birds, get territorial from time to time every year. During this time they instinctively establish territories and will even confront birds they see in what they believe to be "their turf". Windows can reflect images and many times birds will see themselves but mistake the image to be another bird. This is most likely what's happening at your house.

Generally this wouldn't be a major problem and since it only lasts a short while, there is a good chance the activity will stop. But in many cases the bird will get conditioned to seeing his reflection and if left to go on "fighting" with himself, the behavior can continue much longer than normal. This is when it becomes a problem.

The best way to deal with this behavior is to set out some Bird Discs which are featured in our Woodpecker Control article. Use 1-2 per window and set them up in front of any window where the pecking is happening. If the Discs don't do the trick, set out a Jumping Spider. This will definitely get them to move away.