Preventing Bird Suicide

[Meadowlark]

Great fun to watch birds of all types come to your feeders...but very saddening when they fly unknowingly into windows committing in effect bird suicide.



I've tried hanging windsocks in front of windows, but they have been ineffective. The bird above just flew into the clear window on the right below resulting in death.



What have you found to be effective at preventing this "bird suicide"?

 

[pepper2.0]

I think it's more them seeing a reflection in the window rather than a suicide quest but I don't wash the windows with Windex, just warm water. There isn't as much of a refection.. although they don't get as clean and transparent it saves having to clean bird brains and feathers off it less often. Hanging DVD's helps in the garden so it might help infront of windows.. if you don't mind it looking like a retro-style disco club.

I also don't put bird feeders close to the house, not only to keep the birds from flying into the windows and/or pooping on the decks but also doesn't attract mice to the house.

 

[oneeye]

When I got new windows in my old house, the glass was invisible, and the birds flew into the glass, often making a loud noise. I put a small piece of silver reflective tape in the center of the window and have never had another bird hit windows again. I use a small piece the size of a cherry tomato.

 

[cpp gardener]

I’ve used clear beaded curtains on the outside of the windows. If it isn’t a windy side of the house you hardly notice them. Several years ago Bird Watcher’s Digest had an article about using bird netting on a PVC pipe frame to prevent window strikes. Glass isn’t a ‘natural’ part of the environment so birds don’t “see” it as something to avoid. It just looks like nothing is there. Or it creates a reflection that they think is ‘fly-able’.
I’ve heard you can use a bar of soap to make horizontal or vertical lines no more than 4” apart to stop strikes too.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I reckon it is more the reflection, I have had a male chaffinch coming back time after time to have a go at his reflection, and I think pepper2.0 has something, we have a widow cleaner comes around and washes them with purified water and there seem to be few strikes.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

What have you found to be effective at preventing this "bird suicide"?

The only decent advice I can give is that if you have feeders near the window, move them over more so they're less in direct line of the window. That'll make bird collisions happen less often and if they do hit after taking off from the feeder, they'll hit on more of an angle instead of direct head-on impact, being less likely to cause serious injury or death.

 

[dirty hands]

A few birds i saved after hitting the windows. Not to mention the ones I saved from the clutches of our cats mouths.
Yes I keep my windows clean and yes the feeders are a good distance from them.
I pick them up straighten their necks and massage them until they are strong enough to fly away.
A couple have stayed close hanging onto me even landing on my shoulder and kissing my cheek before flying away.

The Cooper hawk I had to take to an animal rescue to recover.

 

[Meadowlark]

The only decent advice I can give is that if you have feeders near the window, move them over more so they're less in direct line of the window. ...

That move cuts down on the viewing but if it helps reduce the fatalities then so be it. Feeder moved. Thanks.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

That move cuts down on the viewing

I still have my feeders in clear sight from my window, just offset from it. Like this:

Distance and angle will matter so you may find you need to adjust it more one way or the other.

 

[cpp gardener]

Another option is to put the feeder very close to the window so that if they hit the window they won’t have built up any speed and won’t hurt themselves.

 

[dirty hands]

Or just accept that birds will fly into the windows.

It happens without feeders too. Especially if you live near a lot of trees or waterways.
Or pick them up and revive them. I had to blow air into the Cardinals beak twice to get him breathing. I found him kind of late.

 

[Meadowlark]

View attachment 111737

I have double all window patio doors opening to a large deck which had a feeder positioned perpendicular as you drew above and I moved the feeder, again as you drew it, to a safer position on the side of the deck setting up angles rather than perpendiculars. Seems like a good idea and hopefully will reduce and maybe even eliminate the problem.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Another option is to put the feeder very close to the window so that if they hit the window they won’t have built up any speed and won’t hurt themselves.

This does not work. It's a good idea in theory but I used to have a bird bath below my window and that's when I had the most impacts and some were fatal.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

A friend has a feeder that actually attaches to the glass with a suction pad, that seems to work. The birds appear to have got accustomed to the humans inside, they are right there and take no notice of people.

 

[Avi]

I did have that problem with birds occasionally flying into sliding doors to the deck. I purchased transparent "thingees" that stay on the glass. They're about 5-inches in size and are effective for about 3-4 months. I bought them at a bird supply store but they're available on the Internet as well. Once I started to use them, I never had that problem again over years.