Woodpecker woes: Calgary couple pay out of pocket to fix bird-related damages

The sounds of birdsong in the morning is typically something many people would find refreshing. But for Bradley and Cherylee Gosse, the persistent pecking of a Northern Flicker has them losing sleep.

“Luckily enough we’re up already for work,” Gosse said. “But on the weekends, five in the morning we’re being woken up by the birds.

“We have dogs in our house and it’s driving our dogs insane.”

The woodpecker birds break holes through the stucco siding of their Douglasdale home looking for bugs to eat or a suitable place to nest, and besides doing what they can to deter the birds the Gosse family can’t get rid of the Flickers because they’re a protected species.

“Woodpeckers and Flickers are protected under the North American Migratory Bird Act. So in Canada this is managed at a federal level by Environment Canada,” explained Nicholas Holland, owner of Peregrine Pest Control.

“There are life-changing fines that come with touching species that are protected.”

Those fines range from $5,000 to $300,000 and up to six months in prison. So the Gosses have been trying anything they can to keep the birds away — wind chimes, spike strips, flashers, even plastic owls — to no avail.

“Last year we had 20 holes in total, I think there was only one bird,” said Gosse. “The year before it was a little bit less but it seems like they’re just getting worse and worse over the seasons.”

The couple, constantly filling in holes with spray foam, have tried to get the damage covered by their home insurance, but have been told damage related to birds and pests isn’t covered.

“We’ve been told basically that the pests, birds, vermin… all that damage is on us,” Gosse said. “And, any future water damage or anything like that is still on us because it’s due to the pests.”

That’s standard across the insurance industry in Canada, according to Rob de Pruis with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“There could be an occasional policy that might not exclude damage by birds, but that would certainly be the exception,” explained de Prius.

“The specific wordings in each policy do vary… So talk to your insurance rep, they’re the expert and they can talk you through and confirm the options that are available.”

Too little to late for the Gosses, whose only option now is to pay to have their siding redone.

“Our only solution is to tear down the stucco and put vinyl siding back up,” Gosse said. “We’ve had a few quotes for that, and they’re around $15,000 to $35,000.”

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