Window Strikes: Prevention and What to Do

Thump! It’s that sickening sound that can only mean another bird has flown into one of your windows. Birds cannot see glass, especially if it is reflecting the nearby habitat or sky. These reflections do not register as such to a bird. This is why millions of birds die or are injured each year in collisions with glass windows in homes and office buildings.
Here are some suggested options for making your windows less deadly for birds.

• Nets or screens in front of the glass are the only methods of physically preventing window strikes. BWD columnist and contributing editor Julie Zickefoose installed permanent netting in front of the windows of her home studio, which were prone to bird strikes. Read about her solution, including instructions for installing such an effective solution here.

Other strategies and products can visually deter birds from flying into the glass surface, and some have proven quite effective.

• Acopian blinds. Invented by Jeff Acopian, this technique involves installing freely swaying cords, evenly spaced, on the outside of the window. Detailed instructions for making your own, or ordering custom-made blinds, are available at birdsavers.com.

• Tape or Decals. In order to be effective, tape, decals, or marking must be applied at a spacing of four inches vertically and horizontally. Collidescape makes an adhesive product for this very purpose. Other decals are effective, too, but must be applied densely—not more than four inches apart. The American Bird Conservancy has tested many of these, including their own product, ABC BirdTape, and rated each on its effectiveness. Check out their complete list of suggestions here: https://bit.ly/1Y1Qngr
• Move your feeders to within three feet of your window. Many window-killed birds are familiar feeder birds that use our backyards every day. The idea here is that you’ll disrupt the birds’ usual flight path to and from the feeders. Moving the feeders closer to the windows can sometimes help because birds startled off the feeders by a hawk don’t build up enough speed to hurt themselves, and being closer to the window, the birds might be able to see that it is not an effective escape route. Remember that moving the feeders will do nothing to prevent nonfeeder birds, such as migrant thrushes and warblers, from hitting the glass.
•  Feather Guard. Perhaps my favorite reader tip of all time was featured as a “My Way” in the September/October 2001 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest. The idea is called FeatherGuard. BWD reader Stiles Thomas of New Jersey created FeatherGuard. His creation consists of bird feathers strung about 8 inches apart on fishing line. These lines of feathers are then strung vertically across frequently struck windows. Birds see the feathers and do not continue to fly into the windows. Do the birds see the feathers as evidence of predation? Do the moving feathers frighten the birds? Nobody knows for sure, but I know from experience that FeatherGuard works to reduce bird collisions on problem windows!

Another website with solid advice on preventing bird from hitting windows is BirdSafe.
 

What to Do with a Stunned Songbird

Your immediate goal is to keep it safe and reduce its level of stress without causing further harm. The best way to do that is to put it into a secure, dimly lit container. If the bird is lying in a reasonably safe place, go find a paper bag slightly larger than the bird. A lunch bag or a paper grocery bag is fine.

If you need to move the bird immediately to keep it safe (from pedestrians, cats, traffic, etc.), pick it up as gently as possible with your hands. Hold it securely and well supported without squeezing it, or gently place it out of harm’s way (outdoors) while you go find that bag.

Warning: While a stunned bird won’t bite, an alert injured bird might! These instructions are for an unconscious or groggy bird.

Gently place the bird in the bag, fold the top over, and secure with a clip. This makes a secure container in which the bird cannot hurt itself.

During hot weather, place the bag in a shaded spot where it will not overheat, or, if the outdoor temperature is frigid, place the container in the sun, but make sure the bird is in a dim or dark space and does not overheat. Check on the bird every 15 minutes or so by listening for movement. Don’t unclip the bag if you take it indoors; it might escape the bag and get trapped in your house!

When you hear the bird scratching about, it should it be ready for release. Slowly and gently turn the bag onto its side and unclip the top so the bird can walk, hop, or fly out when it is ready. (It might be difficult for a bird to fly straight up to exit a tall, upright bag.) It could take the bird an hour or more to recover from a hard strike. Give it time. Do not offer the bird food or water as it is recovering, and don’t try to force-feed it.

If the bird is alive but has visible injuries such as a broken leg or wing, open wounds, or injuries to its eyes or bill, it will need to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible.Try the websites below to find a wildlife rehabilitator near you:

• State Agency Lists of Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators »
• National Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Association »

If there is no wildlife rehabilitator near you, try calling your state’s department of natural resources to ask for advice; or call a veterinarian and see if they are willing to examine or treat a wild bird (at your expense). In many cases, it is difficult or impossible to find help for injured wild birds. If the bird needs help and you are all that’s available, legally, all you are permitted to do is to keep it safe, outdoors, and hope it makes it.

Don’t be surprised if the bird doesn’t make it. Internal injuries are usually invisible, and birds sometimes die from trauma alone.

One more thing: Try to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Certain windows, because of their location or orientation, can invite strikes. Learn in this article from BWD published n March/April 2009.

What to Do with an Injured Raptor

Live raptors must be handled with heavy leather gloves and a thick towel. If the bird is conscious, throw a towel over it and secure the “ankles.” Do this at your own risk, and be careful: Raptors have powerful, sharp beaks and talons.

Tuck the bird’s wings under one arm for transport, or put it directly into a cardboard box or large pet carrier. If you don’t feel up to this, you may wish to call a wildlife rehabilitator. Try the websites below: