Backyard Tips
Acorn Woodpeckers may visit seed and suet feeders near oak woodlands within their range. If Acorn Woodpeckers have discovered your wood siding and begun making holes in it, they can be very difficult to get rid of. People have had some success with hanging strips of shiny ribbon from the eaves or putting balloons in front of the siding to scare the birds away; the surest fix is to switch to an impenetrable siding material. Here's more about keeping away woodpeckers.
Find This Bird
Acorn Woodpeckers are usually pretty easy to find if you take a short walk through open oak or pine-oak forests in their range. Listen for their loud, parrotlike squawks and look for Acorn Woodpeckers perched atop bare treetops. In flight, pay attention to the pattern of three black-and-white flashes—one on each wing, plus the white rump. Keep an eye on the trees as you walk, and you might find one riddled with acorn-filled holes all the way up the trunk and main branches. This is the granary tree, the main food storage “pantry” created and used by communal groups of these fascinating woodpeckers.