From the photo, it looks like this bird is only pecking the trim boards. I suspect that this pine has dead bugs inside it and the bird can sense this. I suspect if you remove the boards and completely seal all sides of the wood with sealer and a good coat of paint before replacing it, the scent will not be perceived. There's a lot of worm infested "Finish grade" pine lumber sold and these birds can sense them even if the bugs are dead. If that doesn't work, coat the trim boards with LEAD PAINT or cover the corner trim with aluminum and then caulk and paint over it. I haven't yet heard of an "ALUMINUM PECKER". lol. And your Homeowner's Insurance might cover your costs to boot if you show them your photos of the birds and the subsequent damage they perpetrate.

dback4430,

Sorry the law also say mame or harm as well, But she said that she does not have a gun so its all academic.
Blake

Yes, if there are insects present, this may have no benefit. However, if she is correct in her claim there are no insects (perhaps having had an exterminator), then this paint may dissuade the woodpecker. The paint additive has a taste and odor the woodpeckers find unpleasant. It is not intended as a shield nor barrier.

Many years ago the same thing happenned to my parents house in Oregon but it was a Flicker instead of a Downy Woodpecker. Dad replaced the cedar shingles 3-4 times the first year and for a couple of years later finally Dad made a chicken wire cage, about 6 inches away from the actual boards, around that one end of the house and planted a climbing rose bush there to climb up the wire. No more Flicker bird on the house. What was so strange about it was that the Flicker only attacked that end of the house, nowhere else.

If you're absolutely sure there are no insects there, try placing a downy nest box near the scene of the crime. But I only know of woodpeckers invading homes because of insects being there.