What we learned about woodpeckers in our mountain home — and how we handled it

There’s something I’ve come to really love about mornings at our mountain home.

Coffee in hand, settled into the couch, taking in the quiet. The kind of stillness that’s one of the best reasons to have a place like this.

At least, that was the idea.

Because almost every morning, like clockwork, I would hear it.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.

High above us — somewhere near the peak of our 27-foot great room ceiling.

It didn’t take long to figure out what the problem was. Woodpeckers.

Figuring out exactly where they were, however, was another matter entirely.

The Hunt

Our siding and fascia boards wrap high along the exterior, and from inside the house, pinpointing the exact location was harder than it sounds. That didn’t stop us.

Randy and I were bound and determined to track them down.

Picture two people — let’s say they bear a passing resemblance to Wile E. Coyote — quietly attempting to sneak around the perimeter of a mountain home, walkie talkies in hand, communicating their precise coordinates in hushed tones while a woodpecker tapped away somewhere above them, utterly unbothered.

It was a process.

Randy’s First Instinct

Once we’d established the general vicinity of the problem, my husband’s mind went immediately to what I’ll generously describe as “creative solutions.”

Most of them involved a small airgun aimed in the approximate direction of our roofline.

After a brief conversation covering the facts that he is not a trained sharpshooter, and that we have very large glass windows in close proximity, sensibility prevailed.

Thankfully.

Knowing What You Don’t Know

Eventually we arrived at a more practical conclusion: we didn’t know how to solve this. But we knew someone who might.

We called Payden Bell at Rocky Mountain Bird & Pest Solutions — the same person who had navigated us through our bat situation with such patience and expertise. As always, he made time to come out, take a look, and share what I’ve come to think of as his “stuff you never thought you’d need to know but are genuinely glad you do” knowledge.

The Solution — Simpler Than Expected

Compared to our bat experience, this one was refreshingly straightforward.

Payden explained that woodpeckers are naturally averse to reflective surfaces and objects that move or twist in the wind. Armed with ladders tall enough to activate Randy’s fear of heights, he went to work installing one Spinning Bird Reflector and sixteen Optical Gel Trays, which make it look like the house is on fire to woodpeckers.  Who knew?  (Well … other than Payden).

And just like that — I could enjoy my morning coffee in peace again.

What We Didn’t Know About Woodpeckers

One of the more interesting things Payden shared is that woodpeckers aren’t randomly pecking at your home. They’re typically going after insects living within the wood itself — which means the real solution is addressing what’s drawing them in the first place.

He mentioned that there are additives that can be mixed into exterior paint or stain to create a protective barrier against the kinds of insects woodpeckers are after. Fewer insects means fewer reasons for woodpeckers to come knocking. When the time comes to repaint our exterior, that will absolutely be part of the plan.

And then there’s the fact I still think about: woodpeckers wrap their tongue around the back of their skull — a built-in shock absorber that prevents concussion. They’re not hurting themselves. They’re just extraordinarily well-engineered for exactly this kind of destruction. Who knew? (Well… other than Payden.)

A Final Thought

Living in the mountains comes with its share of unexpected moments. Some more persistent — and percussive — than others.

But having the right people to call, a little patience, and enough perspective to laugh at yourself along the way goes a long way. Even if it occasionally means channeling your inner cartoon character while tiptoeing around your own house with a walkie talkie.

We wouldn’t trade it.

This is part of our Life Lessons of a Durango Homeowner series — real experiences from owning a home in Southwest Colorado.

→ [Life Lessons of a Durango Homeowner: Fire Mitigation Edition] → [Life Lessons of a Durango Homeowner: Bat Edition]

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