Woodpeckers feed on insects and foraging on trees is what they do to find food. Pecking is mostly associated with feeding though there are times when they'll peck to create a nest. Nest pecking is mostly confined to one location and commonly the location will get a larger and larger hole till it is capable of housing the adult ready to lay eggs. Food pecking in the same area will be more random and constantly changing which is what it sounds like is happening on your tree.

Unfortunately this behavior can kill a tree. Most every tree harbors insects of some sort and some can kill a tree. Combine the insects feeding with the Woodpecker pecking, and the tree's life will be diminished that much faster. You could treat the tree with some Ropel detailed in our on line article on Woodpecker Control. In the article you'll find Bird Tape which works well at keeping them away from a small area too.

I also suggest doing a good inspection of the tree to make sure it doesn't have some kind of insect infestation that needs to be treated. Common pests that can kill a tree include Carpenter Ants, Pine Borers and Termites. Woodpeckers will commonly feed on these pests and others and sometimes treating the source of food (the insects on the tree) can be the best long term remedy to the problem. Other detailed directions on how to get rid of most any pest can be found at www.bugspray.com

Here are direct links to the information and products mentioned above:

Ropel:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page85.html

Woodpecker Control:  http://www.woodpecker-control.com/woodpecker-control

Bird Tape:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page547.html

Carpenter Ant Article:  http://www.carpenterants.com/carpenter-ant-control

Pine Borer Article:  http://www.bugspray.com/article/pinebark.html

Termite Article:  http://www.termites-swarming.com/termite-control

Woodpeckers typically feed on insects that ware buried in wood. Their pecking reveals food for them and their keen sense of smell and hearing allows them to target pests which are cannot be seen. I suspect you could have some kind of insect problem like carpenter ants, carpenter bees, some kind of beetle, etc. that is living up under the siding of the house. Such infestations might be naked to the eye but a foraging woodpecker will quickly find them.

To stop this destructive pattern you can try several things. Ideally if you are able to locate just what the bird is feeding on you could attempt to control that pest which in turn would force the woodpecker to forage elsewhere. If you are not able to find the source or insect he is pursuing, try some of the repellents we have listed in our Woodpecker Control article. The Bird Tape might help as would the Attack Spider. Both are easy to install but you may have to set these up on several sides of the home since they'll only work when the woodpecker gets close enough to them. If the activity is limited to a small area repelling him is usually easy to do but if the whole house is under attack, it will take several of each to get adequate coverage.

Here are direct links to the information and products mentioned above:

Woodpecker Control: http://www.woodpecker-control.com/woodpecker-control

Bird Tape:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page547.html

Attack Spider:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1658.html