Tweeters and BC Birders,

One cure for "death by windows" which seems to have worked fairly well
is attaching black cutout silhouettes of a hawk or falcon to the
windows. You might not want to do this on your living room window, but
if the bird-killing window is on a public building, it's worth
considering.

Dr. Keith Hobson, currently a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife
Service, worked a number of years ago at Simon Fraser University in
Burnaby, BC. There is a long, covered walkway between two of the main
buildings at SFU, with glass on both sides. There was a persistent
problem with birds hitting the glass and killing themselves. (This was
probably due to birds literally not seeing the glass, rather than
reacting to reflections.) Keith put up a set of hawk silhouettes at
intervals of about 10 to 20 feet along the walkway, and the kill rate
decreased dramatically. This technique had been used some time ago in
Britain, I believe, but should work anywhere.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, BC
contopus at shaw.ca



----- Original Message -----
From: Ellen Blackstone <ellenb at 123imagine.net>
To: Tweeters Newsgroup <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2002 2:59 PM
Subject: Cure for *death by window*


Hello, Tweetsters!

I dread the sound of a thunk against the window. Most often the bird
(usually a Pine Siskin) is just stunned and recovers quickly, unless
it
was the neighborhood Sharpie which sent the flock zinging in the first
place.

We have fixed our windows so they protect the birds AND make a
fashion statement. :-) We made a paste of Bon Ami and water, and
stenciled stars all over the windows. They break up the reflection for
the birds, and afford us a little more privacy without having to draw
the drapes. And they're fun!

Cheers--EB
> Wedgwood, Seattle
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Ellen Oehler Blackstone Everything connects...
> Seattle Washington absolutely everything.
> mailto:ellenb at 123imagine.net --Hazel Wolf, 1898-2000