Windows and Bird strikes

When you build a house in the middle of the woods with a wall of windows you have a responsibility to do something to keep the birds from flying into them.

You can see here in this picture why they do, the reflection looks just like the woods to them.

  Prow windows are the worst too because they can see through the prow if they fly along the front of the house and smack right into the windows.  Luckily we have trees very close to the house so they don't usually have much speed and don't break their necks.  There have only been three deaths in the last three years but as far as I'm concerned that is too many.

I bought some decals for the windows.  These happen to be in the shape of hawks.  It's not really the shape though that works it's the reflection of ultraviolet light that flashes at them and makes them avoid the windows.  These particular ones are from window alert and they do not obstruct our view so I am hoping they work.

The birds haven't been coming around as much since I had to stop filling the feeders this summer because of rats and squirrels.  Now that they have moved on and it's starting to get cold I cleaned them out and filled them back up again.  So far the Juncos have come back and the Stellar Jays.  I also saw Flickers, Yellow bellied sapsuckers and Hairy woodpeckers checking out the suet this morning. I'm still waiting for the grosbeaks, nuthatches and chickadees to come back.

Comments

[jolie]

Great idea with the decals. Where did you get them? By the way, I love the picture on your banner.

[Amanda]

I love how the photos seem (or are) misty. Looks like a spooky, enchanted forest.

[Jess]

Good luck with the bird strikes. If you find the decals aren't enough, you could invest in another visual scare device like Terror Eyes: http://www.bird-x.com/products/terror.html

Or Irri-tape: http://www.bird-x.com/products/itape.htm

Thanks for the beautiful photos.

Jess D'Amico
Media Correspondent
www.bird-x.com