I have blue tits in my nestbox and are feeding young. The box has been there and occupied for about 25 years without incident but a woodpecker has started enlargi g the hole trying to get the chicks in the past few days, it’s coming twice a day and I’m managing to shoo it off. I need someone in the Wolverhampton area with a long ladder to come to screw on a plate over the hole to stop it before it has the chicks. Is there anyone in RSPB community who can help.
Unfortunately, nothing can be done other than 'manual intervention' that you're already doing. The plate can be fitted at the end of the breeding season. Ideal time IMO is Autumn. You'd need to do that yourself and probably would be easier to get the box down to do, rather than risk balancing on a ladder to do.
We also had problems with G.S.Woodpeckers attacking wooden nest boxes in our last garden; I would suggest the at the end of this year's breeding season (boxes should only be cleaned out once this has finished, best time as suggested is around end September -October) you try protecting the wooden nest box/es with wire mesh as suggested in a university study HERE. It worked very well for us and we had no further problems after we fixed the quarter inch wire mesh. I will also include a photo to show you how the length of mesh which we wrapped down one side, underneath and up the other side and adding a metal nest hole plate to the front. We had many wooden boxes and none were attacked following the fix. It wasn't necessary to mesh the front as long as a metal hole plate was in situ. Any new nest boxes we bought were all stonecrete type which are woodpecker proof; of course all chicks are vulnerable to predation shortly before fledging as they start sticking their heads out of the nest hole so hope you have success for next year. As I say, this was 100% successful on all our wooden nest boxes.
Thank you so much Hazel for such a brilliant reply and suggestions. I am on permanent watch from 6am in the hope I save this little family and, after years of good service, will replace and protect my next box as you have done to yours. Very many thanks for the photo too.
kathleen
When I'm home, I keep the nearest windows open. Doesn't worry the feeding adults, and I'm more likely to hear the pecking before seeing anything. Ditto re alarm calls of martins if a GSW is near to the house.
Hi, I have exactly the same problem. My chicks are a week old/hatched and I noticed the wood pecker at the weekend. Now it has made the entrance hole bigger. What can I do for them, or will I scare off the parents if I intervene?
Hi,
Same situation and advice as given to Kathleen IMO. I suspect the clock will be against the nestlings for yours. Nature is hard. Humans have also tilted it so it favours generalists (and to be fair, blue tits have benefitted, as well as great spotted woodpeckers).