Great pics!! I took a stroll thru your yard pics - absolutely beautiful!! You've been busy. Love the Wave petunia/Creeping Jenny combo; the Elephant ears w/red petunias?; the Caladiums/ferns; and the Cottage walk. I've always wanted a path like that here in the woods, but the Copperheads won't let me. What variety is the Canna?

This is the first time I have seen him in our yard. He was so easy to photograph. He just kept coming back for seeds every couple minutes. He either has a BIG appitite or there are more than one here. He was also easy to spot because he kept climbing down the tree head first. Here are a couple more photos of him...

Extension offices need to follow pretty strict rules on what can be recommended. So, their recommendations need to be based on some well-trusted source like university research. See the link for the four university (Cornell, Utah State, Clemson and Nebraska) fact sheet on control. This looks like what I've seen in the past in printed form for us. An extension office which does not have to deal often with this problem could probably safely use the material linked for clients who inquired. Note that the rat traps are really a scare measure, and we've never seen a bird trapped. The action of the trap does seem to be an effective deterrent. Flickers are a very significant pest in our area. They lead to very expensive house damage, and open the way for many other pests to enter, as well as allowing rain and snow to come in. Telephone poles and similar structures are damaged regularly. They are not deterred by glittering materials or noise makers. I have stood and thrown sticks at them, and it takes a lot of effort to get them to even move away from a hole. I can stand and spray water at them and they just look at me. Tangletrap is indeed effective in deterring damage, and does not harm the bird. There really are not other effective methods that impact the birds less. Roosting boxes are strongly discouraged here; there are already many roosting sites, and boxes are thought to just encourage a greater population density. Renais Here is a link that might be useful: Flicker control

Can you scare them away with water? I think you could patch it up midday when they are out and about.