BirdVancouver.com

Safeguarding Your Windows for Birds

Window strikes are something that you can prevent. Large picture windows,  windows at right angles to one another, or windows that allow one to see vegetation through to the other side of your home are often the most dangerous. It’s worth viewing your windows from a bird’s perspective from outside to see if foliage or sky is reflected in or through the glass. If you can see habitat or sky, birds will see this too! Make sure you relocate feeders to within 1 m from windows. Although this may seem counterintuitive, bird strikes are more likely to be fatal when birds take off far enough away from the window to be flying at top speed when they hit. 

Alternatively, use tempera paint or oil based paint pens (such as Sharpie brand BOLD size with a tip larger than 0.32 cm) to draw designs onto your glass. These designs can be removed with just a bit of soap and water in the case of tempera paint or ethanol and water or paint solvents for oil based paint pens.    

Kids can really help make a difference at home and on school campuses by making windows bird safe and preventing window strikes. Here is a project specifically for kids!

Chalk Window Project: 

For more information on bird-window strikes, please visit the American Bird Conservancy website. They have a comprehensive database and list of products shown to reduce collisions with glass for homeowners and architects.

And Don’t Forget to Move Attractants!

Relocate feeders and other attractants such as birdbaths well away from windows. Bird strikes are more likely to be fatal when birds take off far enough away from the window to be flying at top speed when they hit.

Feeders within 3 feet of window glass or more than 30 feet away are the safest but remember that this alone will not effectively prevent window strikes!