Homeowners associations have been known to do a lot of sketchy, environmentally-questionable things -- ban clothes lines, limit solar panels -- but this seems extreme. Two homeowners associations in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering hiring a sharpshooter to kill up to 50 woodpeckers.
It's a complicated situation, and a perfect example of how our homes don't always mix so well with our environment.
Essentially, two homeowners associations in a retirement community in the bay area have been trying to get rid of a flock of noisy woodpeckers. They've spent $170,000 on different tactics to divert the birds away from their homes (where the birds have been drilling holes to store their nuts). Now at least one of the associations would like to have the birds killed. It's a truly unfortunate situation.
Here's the full article. Check it out and then tell us what you think.
image via sfgate.com
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So... they built in a wooded area to be near nature and now nature is too annoying so they want to kill it... a little piece of me has died inside
view Hollie's profile
sigh...stupid tales of the stupid. I think the sharpshooters should be hired to take out the HOA members.
view Monica's profile
Audubon California has a petition to sign if you'd like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to revoke the permit to kill the Acorn Woodpeckers.
http://audubonaction.org/campaign/woodpeckers_revoke_permit/
Quoting part of the petition:
"While we are sympathetic to those who are suffering damage to their real property, it is clear to us that the holders of this permit have not made sufficient efforts to try all non-lethal remedies. Moreover, experts have demonstrated clearly that killing 50 Acorn Woodpeckers has no chance of solving the homeowners' problem.
"Audubon California and the Mt. Diablo Audubon Society have met repeatedly with representatives of Rossmoor and have offered to help design and place artificial granaries, provide scientific expertise, and to help raise third party funding to assist in retrofitting. Despite these generous offers of assistance, the permittees will not agree to set aside plans to kill birds."
view digger61's profile
My parents live in the woods in a cedar sided house my grandparents built. Every year the woodpeckers decide that the bugs that are on the house look yummy. And every year we fill in the holes they make with steel wool and pitch. Eventually the house may be held up only by tar, but darn it, we wouldn't ever kill one of our woodpeckers.....the chipmunks...they're another story!
view Kathie in Chicago's profile
they kill the birds at their own peril. nature will show them that she cannot be fooled. those poor birds. ditto what hollie said--they want to have nature, then kill it. entire bird species are dying off at shocking rates, and migratory birds are in danger everywhere. someone needs to sit down with those homeowners and educate them. tragic. really tragic.
view avianmission's profile
heartbreaking. :(
view bmb's profile
Why do people think that people are the only ones who are (and deserve to be) part of their ecosystems?
view Frugalista's profile
Where the birds. have been drilling. holes to store their NUTS.
Oy vey, everybody.
Somebody needs Wikipedia. Who needs Wikipedia? Who?
view Splomo's profile
Well, well! Acorn Woodpeckers do live in groups, do peck a large number of good sized holes, year round, in which to store their NUTS, and are very territorial. They are in no way endangered.
Fake Owls
Real Owls
Fake falcon screeches
Fake predator crunching woodpecker sounds
Mylar
Animated fake spiders and webs
Repellent paint
Shooting permit and bullets ............$170,000
Turning off the hearing aids to finally get some sleep: priceless
view Splomo's profile