Backyard Birding

So you’ve set up your bird feeders. You’ve provided water for your birds. You have planned for shelter against predators. Birds have finally found your feeders. And then one crashes into your window. Millions of birds are killed each year by colliding with windows, making it the most dangerous aspect of feeding birds. What can you do? And how can you prevent future collisions?

First it is important to understand why birds collide with windows. It is not because the glass is invisible to them. They are not trying to seek refuge in your living room. Instead, they are seeing the reflection of the sky. They see a patch of blue, or perhaps an inviting tree and dive for cover. Anything that you put inside the window (curtains, blinds, etc.) will only obscure your view without providing any additional protection for your birds. Here are some tips which may help:

1. Break up the reflection. Our local nature center hangs ribbon in front of the window which blows in the wind. Some people even hang old CDs from string to further demarcate windows.

2. Stickers. Those hawk outline stickers do not fool the birds. They don’t think a hawk is nearby, but it does help them to recognize that there is a hard surface there.

At our bird store, we found some special stickers (see picture) which reflect ultraviolet light. To us, they appear as a blurry leaf outline on the window. But birds can see ultraviolet, and thus see bright blue reflections several places on the window.

3. Don’t wash your windows. Dirt doesn’t reflect blue sky.

4. Move your feeders further from the house so birds have time to fly over your house rather than into it.

5. Move your feeders closer to the house so that when birds strike, they are not moving as fast.

6. Attach a feeder directly to the window.

7. Install a screen.

8. You can also purchase a fine mesh to put over windows. Birds may fly into it, but can fly away unharmed.

Should a bird collide with your window, there are a few simple things you can do to maximize their chance of survival. When a bird bounces off the window, it often drops to the ground, stunned. The biggest danger is generally succumbing to a predator. You will notice how easy a stunned bird is to approach. Remember that it is technically illegal to handle or keep an native North American wild bird. The bird police won’t come after you for trying to rescue a bird, but don’t be tempted to keep it.

Approach the bird slowly and lift it gently. Place it in a box, cover it with a blanket and move it to a safe location. Make sure it is safe from predators and curious children. Leave it there for about 15 minutes. There is no need to check on it, and the more it is left in peace, the sooner it will calm down. Take the blanket off and walk away. Generally, the bird will fly off shortly after the cover is removed.

backyard birding, bird feeding, bird watching, windows, window collision