It’s that time of the year again. My spring alarm clock has begun.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I LOVE BIRDS, whether lying awake in the wee morning hours listening to the chorus outside my window or watching them dance from limb to limb in the afternoon sun.
But lately, I have had more than enough of a particular robin.
Just like last year, my new buddy is making himself known every morning and often at various intervals throughout the day. He is causing me to question my love of birds or, at the very least, my sanity.
Due to his jealousy, he believes the reflection in my window is an interloper here invading his territory or, at the very least, casting a long seductive glance toward his woman. And now he will not stop attacking my sliding door!
It’s time I got busy and did something about it.
Understanding why birds fly into windows and how we can prevent their deaths
Research indicates that between 365 and 988 million birds a year in the U.S. are killed after flying into windows, making it the leading cause of human-caused bird deaths.
Birds see reflections when they look into the windows. It could be the sky or trees indicating a flight path. Other times, especially in the spring or fall, they see their reflection but don’t realize it is themselves. They see the other bird as threatening to their territory and will attempt to attack it.
Preventing birds from flying into the glass requires some simple steps and a few resources to reduce the reflections and deter the birds from your windows.
- Close blinds and curtains.
- Move house plants away from windows.
- Put bird feeders directly on the glass.
- Install exterior screen.
- Mark the outside of your windows with soap or tempera paint. Use a grid pattern or create some artwork.
- Place stickers, decals, masking tape, or any sticky object on the outside of the window and place them close to be effective and ensure they cover most of the glass.
- Install netting over your windows.
- Cover your windows with One-way transparent film making the window opaque from the outside, but inside, you can still see out. It also reduces the amount of light that comes in the windows.
Birds bring beauty, color, whimsy, and melody to our lives. Without these stunning creatures, the world would be a sad, quiet existence. Let’s all do our part to ensure there are more birds in the world to share their songs with us each day.
For more information on reducing window collisions with birds and how you can have a positive impact, visit The Audobon Society.
