A couple of months ago my neighbor and I had a huge woodpecker problem. They were constantly pecking away at the side of our houses. Not only was the noise terribly annoying, but they were actually damaging the siding. Luckily, I did some research and found the solution: woodpecker feeders!
I discovered that the most common backyard Woodpecker is known as the “Downey Woodpecker”. They are found across the entire United States. If you see a Woodpecker that has a white back and white spots covering a black tail, it is probably the Downey Woodpecker. The male Downey Woodpecker will have a red spot on the back of his beck, while the females will not. They love to be in areas where there are plenty of trees, which my backyard happens to have plenty of! The Downey Woodpecker is active year round, meaning that even if it is snowing they could be doing damage to your house.
In order to attract Woodpeckers away from your house, you need to put out woodpecker feeders, and fill them with foods that Woodpeckers love. Wood peckers like pecans, seeds (like sunflower seeds) and fruits (including grapes, raw apples, bananas, and oranges). The Downey Woodpecker in particular especially loves beef suet. They also like insects, and like to eat insects and their eggs out of tree bark (hence why they like to be in areas where there are lots of trees).
I currently have two woodpecker feeders in my backyard. The first one is the Peanut Woodpecker Bird Feeder, pictured above. I add peanuts and sunflower seeds into the inside of this feeder, and Woodpeckers flock to it. The Peanut Woodpecker Bird Feeder has two perches, so two woodpeckers can visit at once. There is a stainless steel screen that holds in the peanuts and sunflower seeds (or whatever you want to put in it), and it is completely rust proof.
Another feeder I use is the Woodpecker Double Suet Feeder. This cedar wood feeder can hold 2 suet cakes, one on each side. The Woodpecker Double Suet Feeder has a built in “tail rest” feature, which feels very natural to them. You can experiment with the types of suet cakes you put in this feeder. You could even put two different types of suet cakes in the feeder at the same time! I have already experimented with a variety of suet cakes, and I have discovered that my backyard Woodpeckers like the Woodpecker Suet Cake Treat 11 oz, and the Le Petit Woodpecker Seed Cake 9 oz.