Windows Can Be Deadly For Birds.
Ornithologists estimate that up to 100 million birds are killed
each year by collisions with windows. These collisions usually
involve small songbirds, such as finches, that may fall unnoticed to
the ground. Sometimes the birds are merely stunned and recover in a
few moments. Often, though, window hits lead to severe internal
injuries and death.
Why Birds Collide With Windows.
It's thought that birds hit windows because they see the
landscape-trees, sky, clouds-reflected on the glass surface but do
not realize that a hard, transparent surface lies between them and
that apparent open space. Panicking birds, fleeing for cover to
escape predators, are even more likely to fly into windows.
A related problem-more annoying than lethal-occurs when birds attack
windows. It usually occurs in spring, and is due to birds' urge to
defend breeding territories. The male cardinal pecking at your
window is fighting what he perceives as an intruding male-he doesn't
understand that it's his own reflection. This territorial reaction
may be so strong that the bird may exhaust himself, but it usually
doesn't result in fatal injury.
How to Help a Window Collision Victim
If you find a bird dazed from a window hit, place it in a dark
container with a lid such as a shoebox, and leave it somewhere warm
and quiet, out of reach of pets and other predators. If the weather
is extremely cold, you may need to take it inside. Do not try to
give it food and water, and resist handling it as much as possible.
The darkness will calm the bird while it revives, which should occur
within a few minutes, unless it is seriously injured. Release it
outside as soon as it appears awake and alert. If the bird doesn't
recover in a couple of hours, you should take it to a veterinarian
or wildlife rehabilitator. Remember that, technically, it is illegal
to handle a migratory bird without a permit.
Safeguarding Your Windows For Birds
Window strikes are something you should be aware of and try to
prevent, especially if you feed wild birds in your backyard. Start
by identifying which window is the problem-large picture windows are
usually the worst culprits. Go outside near your feeders and look at
your windows from a bird's point of view. If you see branches or sky
reflected in the glass when you look at your window, the birds can
as well. Can you see through the window into the house? If so, the
birds can too. Is there another window on the opposite wall of the
house? It may give birds the illusion of a fly-through passage to
the habitat outside.
Try some of these ideas to make your windows safer:
Relocate feeders and other attractants.
You can start by simply moving your feeders and birdbaths to new
locations. Bird strikes usually occur at particular windows, so
moving feeders farther away from them may solve the problem
entirely. You can also try placing your feeders much closer to the
glass-if a feeder is just a foot or two from a window, birds may
still fly into it, but not with enough force to injure themselves.
Avoid apparent visual tunnels.
Bright windows on the opposite wall from your picture window may
give the illusion of a visual tunnel through which birds may try to
fly. Try making one window less transparent by keeping a shade drawn
or a door closed, or by altering the lighting inside the house. You
can also make the glass less transparent by taping paper or
cardboard on the inside of the panes-unslightly, but a good
temporary measure until you can find a better solution.
Break up external reflections with stickers or plastic wrap.
Break up window reflections by sticking objects to the outside of
the glass. Black plastic silhouettes of a falcon, hawk, or owl
sometimes work, not because they look like predators but because
they disrupt the window's reflectivity. Semi-transparent stickers
can also do the job-some have decorative bird shapes, or look like
spider webs. Sheets of plastic food wrap may work too.
Disrupt reflections with spray-on materials or soap.
Try spraying fake Christmas snow on the outside of the window, or
drawing streaks across it with bar soap. Again, the goal is to break
up external reflections.
Attach branches in front of windows.
For a more natural look, attach dead tree branches in front of your
window. They may cause the birds to slow down and avoid the window
as they fly toward it. You can arrange the branches so they don't
obscure your view.
Attach hanging objects to deter birds.
Hang lightweight, shiny items in front of the window so they move in
the breeze and dissuade birds from approaching. Try strips of shiny,
reflective plastic (hung a few inches apart), old aluminum pie
plates, or unwanted compact discs.
Reduce reflections with trees or awnings.
Reduce the amount of light reaching a problem window by planting
shade trees close to it. This will help prevent reflections.
However, it will also obstruct your view. Trees take time to grow,
so consider shading your window with an awning instead. Either one
may help birds by reducing the amount of sky reflected in windows.
Cover windows with netting.
Place netting over the window. It provides a physical barrier to
birds flying into the glass, yet won't obstruct your view. The
Cornell Lab of Ornithology installed crop netting-the kind used to
keep birds away from fruit trees-in front of a large picture window
next to our bird-feeding garden in our original building. The
result? No more dead and injured birds. Small-mesh netting is
best-ours was 5/8" (1.6 cm) in diameter-so if birds do fly into it
they won't get their heads or bodies entangled but will bounce off
unharmed. You can mount the netting on a frame, such as a
storm-window frame, for easy installation and removal. You could
also try insect screening material.
Install windows tilting downwards.
If you're installing new windows, ask your contractor to position
them slightly off vertical, facing downwards. Then the outer window
surface will reflect the ground rather than the sky and trees, but
won't affect your view from inside the house. Be aware, though, that
this may void your warranty. Your contractor or architect may have
other useful ideas about how to minimize habitat reflection in your
windows.
FROM:
BirdNotes--Making
Your Windows Safe for Birds.