Friday, October 26, 2007

Birds collide into window

I had a call about mockingbirds and cardinals colliding into windows and thought I would pass on what I learned from the US Fish and Wildlife Service:

"Contemporary homes and modern office buildings often use insulated and reflective glass to replace walls. These windows may be aesthetically pleasing to humans, but often they are lethal to birds. Unfortunately, many birds cannot distinguish the difference between the real sky and a reflection of the sky in a window.
You can minimize these collisions by breaking up the reflection on the outside of the window with a window screen, flash tape and bird netting. Life-size, animate "scares" (plastic falcons, owls and balloons) and falcon or owl silhouettes attached to windows with suction cups are not effective deterrents.
Planting trees and installing window awnings to block the sun from hitting the window may eliminate some reflection.
Migration isn't the only time homeowners have trouble with bird-window collisions. Birds may hit your windows during breeding season, and in the winter too.
During breeding season, male cardinals, woodpeckers and mockingbirds may "fight" their own reflections in windows (and car mirrors). They'll stop banging into the window as the breeding season ends. You can discourage them with screens and other barrier techniques.
Regardless of the season, birds can fly into windows when they're frightened while visiting a feeding station. Either move the feeders a considerable distance away from the window, or immediately adjacent to the window (so birds don't get up to flight speed before hitting the window)."




Here is a great site for bird information: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/




Bird flying into window video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSVD8H-WTGU


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the information. Birds flying into windows can be a big problem.

Bird-X, Inc, www.bird-x.com, is one of the oldest and most reliable bird control companies. We carry only nonlethal and environmentally friendly solutions and products including netting, bird tape and scare devices you mentioned.

Thanks again,

Jess

Chazz said...

David Sibley (world renown ornithologist) has an interesting idea using UV light reflective but visible light invisible markers on windows to prevent bird strikes. Go to his blog for more information:
http://sibleyguides.blogspot.com/2007/11/simple-method-for-bird-proofing-windows.html

Chazz Hesselein
Birder in Mobile, AL

Rachael said...

Just a quick note to let you know that I appreciated your insights about the topic. Quite helpful for what I am interested in these days.
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