Although spring is several weeks away, I know it is near because of the questions I have gotten recently concerning woodpecker drumming. Drumming is a spring territorial activity that is done by woodpeckers to establish breeding territory. Drumming, or pecking on a hollow tree is not annoying in a forest, unfortunately in urban areas which lack suitable trees the birds use what is available, your chimney's flashing, and the eave or the corner of your home's siding.

You may not have yet noticed this type of activity in your neighbor, but you may want to begin monitoring for this activity now. If you want to disrupt or move the woodpecker to another area away from your home, you must intervene as soon as the activity begins.

Remember that woodpeckers are protected by state and federal laws, so they cannot be killed; the objective is to scare them away. Strips of mylar or plastic can be hung from eaves or near affected areas to scare the birds, but this can move the bird to another part of your home, so be prepared to be persistent. Scaring the birds away with a loud noise can also sometimes work, but this technique requires persistence and intervention soon after the drumming begins. It also requires getting out of bed early as this activity is often begun at sunrise.

Another late winter wildlife activity that is often a sign of warmer outside temperatures is bat encounters in homes. The big brown bat often hibernates in attic and wall spaces in central Illinois and late winter warm outside temperatures may cause some of these animals to become active. These bat encounters usually involve one or two bats that are moving around in the wall or attic to adjust for warmer temperatures. Sometimes this movement can result in a bat accidentally entering your living space.

If a bat is found inside your home, close off the room, open a window and the bat will often fly outside on its own. Sometimes people decide to speed up the removal process with a butterfly net, and those that try this should be very careful so as not to be bitten. If you are bitten when dealing with a bat, the animal will need to be submitted for testing to make sure it doesn't have rabies.

If you do encounter a bat intruder this late winter, you will want to determine how the bats have entered your home last summer or fall. You can begin by looking for holes in siding, vents and other areas; however, you will have to wait until spring to make the final repairs to your home otherwise the bats will be trapped inside. The task of bat exclusion is often best left to a professional. However, the University of Illinois Extension's "Living with Wildlife" website at can provide a detailed fact sheet on the process if you want to consider dealing with the problem yourself.

The activity of other animals in your backyard may also increase as warm weather arrives. Canada geese are considered a nuisance by some people and the urban population will begin searching for suitable nesting areas toward the end of this month. If you are planning on installing fencing or other barriers around your small pond to make the area unsuitable as nesting habitat, now is the time to get busy. Fencing or string barriers at the water's edge of a pond are most effective when installed prior to nest territory selection.

It's difficult to predict what will happen with temperatures the rest of the days of winter, and the affect on wildlife activity. The best approach to reducing wildlife nuisance conflicts is anticipation and preparation, so watch the wildlife in your neighborhood. You may even find it entertaining. If you have questions about wildlife nuisance management, call the University of Illinois Champaign Extension Unit at 333-7672, or visit our "Living with Wildlife" website.