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Ten Things
You Can Do to
Prevent Window Strikes
by Bill Thompson,
III
Editor, Bird
Watcher's Digest
Each year millions of birds, especially songbirds, are killed by colliding with glass windows. A window that reflects the natural habitat around your home appears, to a bird, to be an extension of that habitat. Birds have no understanding that window glass is a deadly hard surface. Although flying into a glass window may not kill a bird, it almost always stuns it, unless the bird hits the glass with a glancing blow. Stunned birds are at the mercy of predators such as cats, hawks, and even jays crows, and grackles. And while a stunned bird may recover enough to fly away, it may succumb later to internal bleeding, or minor damage to the brain as a result of the impact. In the worst cases, a window strike breaks a bird's neck, or crushes its skull, or otherwise causes major head trauma resulting in death.
What can you do to prevent this awful scenario in your backyard? Following are 10 tips for understanding and helping to prevent window strikes. In the sidebar I list several tips for helping a stunned bird recover from a window strike.
10. Identify problem windows. Begin by noting which of your glass surfaces is the worst culprit. Most often it's the largest window, or a window that is aligned with another window on the opposite side of your house, thus creating the illusion of a safe path to the habitat on the other side of the visual tunnel.
9. Install windows facing down. If you are installing new windows ask your contractor about installing them at a slight angle, facing downward. This type of positioning, just a few degrees from vertical, does not affect your view from inside, but it does cause the outer surface of the window to reflect the ground rather than nearby trees or sky. Some window manufacturers will void your warranty if your windows are not installed flush (i.e. vertical). Talk with your contractor or architect about ways you can minimize habitat reflection in your windows.
8. Use plastic-wrap or stickers available commercially. It's all about breaking up the reflection and there are many things you can stick onto the window glass to accomplish this. The traditional black plastic falcon, hawk, or owl silhouettes have worked for some people and not for others. Some alternatives include commercially available, semi-transparent stickers, some with decorative bird designs on them, and another product that mimics a spider web pattern (the thinking is that birds avoid flying into spider webs). Both of these have seemed to work for me. What worked equally well (or seemed to) but is not as nice to look at is plain old plastic wrap. Also known as Saran wrap or food wrap, we've used three-foot-long sheet of it on our large plate glass windows and it seems to have broken up the reflection pattern enough to cause birds to avoid the windows.
7. Place branches in front of your windows. If you desire a more organic look, try placing dead tree branches in front of your windows. These will not eliminate your view, but they will encourage birds to either avoid the branches when they fly, or cause them to slow down enough so that their impact with the window is not fatal. If dead branches do not appeal to you, read on . . .
6. Plant trees or shrubs. Small trees or short shrubs planted in front of your windows will break up the surface reflection of the glass, but thye will also obstruct you view. Another way to reduce the risk of window strikes is to plant shade-creating trees near problems windows. By reducing the amount of light hitting the glass, reflection is also reduced. If you don't have the patience to wait for your shade trees to grow, consider installing awnings that will shade your windows from above.
5. Hang screens or netting over the outside of your windows. Crop netting, like that used in orchards to keep birds off the fruit, can be effective in reducing window strikes. If you use crop netting, use a small-mesh weave type so that birds do not get their heads or bodies stuck in it. At our former house in Maryland, we used old storm window screens (purchased at a yard sale), suspended by light rope, to both break up reflection and physically prevent birds from hitting the glass.
4. Hang Mylar strips or CDs. Strips of shiny reflective plastic, hung a few inches apart in front of the outside surface of your windows may work. They will flutter in the breeze and may encourage birds to steer clear. Other options include strips of black plastic garbage bags, aluminum pie pans, and even old computer software or storage CDs (Such as the ones boasting 500 free hours of online time!). In some case, there's no higher use for such a computer disk. In all examples, the idea is to hang the items in front of the window so they move in the breeze.
3. Spray fake snow. Even if you're not dreaming of a white Christmas, this stuff still does the trick of reducing reflection. When spraying it on in June, I've found that humming Christmas carols seems to help. Imagine what your neighbors will think of your "early jump on the holidays!" If you've got competitive neighbors, you'll drive them crazy by starting your "decorations" so soon.
2. Move feeders and other enticements. Changing the location of feeders, houses, baths, and so on, can reduce heavy bird traffic near problem windows and doors. Either move the attractions farther away from large glass areas, or move them closer. Moving them closer may help by preventing birds from getting up to full flight speed before hitting the window.
1. Get more information/Share your information. Excellent information on window strikes is available at the websites listed below.
Do you have a successful solution for preventing window strikes? If so, please share it with other BBN readers. Send it to us at BBN Window Strikes, PO Box 110, Marietta, OH 45750. Or via e-mail at bbn@birdwatchersdigest.com.
Helping
Injured Birds
Here's what to do when you hear that sound of a bird hitting glass, and you look outside to see a stunned bird, lying on the ground below one of your windows.
Technically it's illegal to touch a migratory bird without a permit -- but if you don't mind being outside the law for a few minutes, carefully pick up the bird and put it in a brown paper bag with the top folded over or a cardboard box with flaps or a lid. Make sure that the bird is upright -- prop it up with a supporting circle of paper towels or tissues if necessary. If the weather is very cold outside, bring the bag or box inside to warm up the stunned bird. If the weather is warm, you can leave the bag/box outside, but place it out of reach of pets.
Do not try to give the bird food or water. Leave it alone in a warm, quiet, dark place for a couple of hours -- it may take this long for the bird to recover.
Once the bird recovers, you'll hear it scritching around inside the enclosure. Take the bag/box outside before peeking in case the bird gets out -- you don't want it fluttering around in your rafters. To release the bird, simply open the enclosure and let it find its way out. Resist the urge to handle the bird any more than necessary, and don't toss the bird into the air when releasing it. If you must hold the bird before releasing it, simply open your hand and it will fly away when ready to do so.
If the bird seems not to be recovering, contact your state or provincial fish and game or wildlife agency, or a local veterinarian for the name of a licensed wildlife rehabilitator near you who might take your bird. Get the bird to a rehab expert as soon as possible, because it will need food, water, and perhaps medical attention.
OFFICE OF MIGRATORY
BIRD MANAGMENT
http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/pamphlet/prob.html#3a
WILD
BIRDS UNLIMITED
http://www.wbu.com/edu/window.htm
FLAP
www.flap.org
Tower
Kill
www.towerkill.com/
Binghamton
University
http://inside.binghamton.edu/September-October/8Oct98/naturesafely.html
Cornell
www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Sept99/bird_tower.hrs.html
Avian
Collision
www.energy.ca.gov/reports/avian_bibliography.html
Devastating
Toll
www.netwalk.com/~vireo/devastatingtoll.html
Aerodrome
Wildlife Control
www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/aerodrme/birdstke/main.htm
Bird
Strike
www.birdstrike.org