My daughter in Minnesota has had a lot of damage done by red-bellied 
woodpeckers on her shingle house. (In one place, she could reach her hand in a hole 
and touch a two-by-four!   All the insulation had been pulled out and starlings 
were investigating the hole. She's not sure if the woodpeckers did all the 
damage or just got the hole started.) Her local Audubon Center has recommended 
two things to try: an owl silhouette attached to the roof or gutter so the shape 
stands out against the sky and also casts a shadow, and strips of bright 
metal tape fluttering down on the outside wall where the woodpeckers have been 
pecking. No word yet on how or if these will work.

Maeve Kim
Jericho Center