New year, new challenge. We had just arrived and were putting our groceries away. There was a loud rat-a-tat-tat coming from the back of the cabin. Someone was knocking, but not on the front door. We went outside and around the corner of the float. Wayne got there first and saw a fairly large bird flying away towards the cliff. A visual inspection of the deck gave us our second hint. There were wood chips and slivers littering the boards. A look up towards the eves confirmed our worst fears. A woodpecker had chosen our cabin for her nest. Since there wasn’t a hole ready for occupancy, she was making one of her own.
We caught her just in time. An exposed beam was shredded, but entry under the roof had not been achieved. Wayne used some wood to block the hole and hung bright pink trail marking tape to flutter in the breeze. There was no sign of her for the rest of the day. The next morning at 5:45 a.m. we heard it again, rat-a-tat-tat. The eves are just over our upstairs bedroom window, so a loud “shoo” got her going back towards the cliff. An hour later, it was the same thing again. We didn't have a metal pie plate, so Wayne got a thin board and covered it with aluminum foil. We suspended it in front of the hole. Unfortunately, we had to return to town, so we won’t know if it was enough of a deterrent until we return today. Here’s hoping!!
Don't think I'm complaining. Challenges are what make living up the lake fun. We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. We are heading back up the lake for the long Victoria Day weekend. Watch for more posts when I return to town next week. I’ll have more tales to tell for sure. -- Margy