Ah the sound of spring and summer, birds are singing, cooing and pecking....WHAT...Yes the woodpeckers are back and like many birds they are wonderful to watch but they can be the worst neighbours. Many birds including the woodpecker decide every year that your home and yard are great places to make a nest. Woodpeckers destroy cedar siding and put holes in things, other birds just enjoy building nests in any old crack or hole you may have around the house. As much as we enjoy the birds we don't enjoy the mess and destruction.

There are human ways to control the birds in your yard, and in the end it could save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs and maintenance. Finding human solutions to rid you yard of these birds also gives the birds a chance to live and have a home too, it just makes it so they go somewhere else to make a home.

If you are already having bird troubles a great solution is placing netting on and around the areas being invaded and it will help prevent woodpeckers from damaging the wood siding. If there is damage already done by woodpeckers make sure to keep at least a 3 inch space between the netting and the damaged area, it will prevent the birds from causing anymore damage in that area.

Another solution and this can be combined with the netting, use visual repellents. There are several kinds available for purchase at your hardware store, but the cheapest and easiest is to use tinfoil. Cut strips of tinfoil into thick ribbons attach a few to the netting or somewhere near the intended area, allow ribbon foil to act as a mirror for the sun and flap in the wind. The reflection from the foil and the mirror effect will confuse the birds into thinking they are being watched...yep it's true...

Of course other ways can consist of using loud music or bird distress calls that are also effective. There are products available like a bird chase supersonic device that plays woodpecker distress calls and predator calls that scare birds away.

Use these methods for a few weeks, this should be enough time to allow the birds to find new homes, hopefully not right next door... Anyway be smart and safe when ridding your yard of any animal, they will protect what they believe is theirs, so encourage wisely and be humane.

For more information about humane products and ways of ridding your yard of birds go to http://www.absolutebirdcontrol.com/