Subject: Birds flying into a glass door
Date: Feb 28 22:41:08 2004
From: Bruce Whittington - fieldnat at pacificcoast.net


In some very unscientific observations made at a banding station in
Ontario, birders noted that passerines were turned away from mist nets
least by suspended black hawk silhouettes, more by foil silhouettes,
and most by hawk-coloured silhouettes, though none of these was
terribly effective. Some people claim different success in windows
facing different directions. I believe that hawk silhouettes are more
effective if free hanging in the window, where there is movement too.
But the problem with hawk silhouettes is that they are designed to
scare birds away - not good for backyard birding.

I have found that window mounted feeders, or feeders hanging near the
window (like a niger sack for siskins) make the window area a
destination rather than a route. Sounds odd, but it seems to work. I
have an excellent window feeder from Droll Yankee with a dome roof, and
it is adjustable to deter larger birds like jays. And I think the only
sure way to keep birds safe from windows is to put garden netting in
front, stretched quite tightly - not too good with the part of the
patio door that opens. Best of all, but usually too late, is to avoid
patio doors, glass deck railings, picture windows, etc. Older houses,
in my experience, with smaller windows, multiple panes, each one set in
putty at a slightly different angle, reflecting a slightly different
picture, and older rippled glass, are much kinder to birds.

Incidentally, I read some research that showed that birds were
frightened by a falcon silhouette towed past, not frightened by a goose
silhouette, and frightened when the goose silhouette was towed
backwards in front of the birds - its neck hanging out behind like a
falcon tail.

Bruce Whittington
Ladysmith BC
mailto: fieldnat at pacificcoast.net