A Golden Eagle flew into this truck windshield. You can take precautions to help prevent window strikes.
Birds of all kinds fly into windows, glass doors and skylights, resulting in many of the bird injuries we treat.
Birds hit windows for many reasons:
A flying bird sees sky and trees reflected in the glass and thinks that there is a space there that he can pass through. (Your local birds usually learn what is a window and what isn’t, but birds migrating through your neighborhood may become confused.)
Sometimes a bird sees her reflection in the window and thinks it is an intruder and tries to chase it away.
A bird is frightened or chased by a hunting hawk; in his panic, he flies straight into the window.
Many cat-caught birds hit windows first.
Help prevent window strikes:
You can shine a light from inside the house onto the window the birds fly into and wash out the reflection.
Pulling drapes or lowering blinds can help some, but there may still be a reflection.
Static cling decals will not keep a bird flying from a hawk safe, but will help in other ways. You can purchase special decals such as Window Alert (http://windowalert.com) or others from stores like Wild Bird Centers.
Hawk silhouettes can be produced inexpensively and simply taped to the problem window. The shape of this predator alerts the flying birds and they will steer away from it. Download one HERE to print out.
Used DVDs or computer disks hung on the outside of your window are a great way to help birds spot the danger. Colored ribbons or reflective tape (often sold to keep birds off of fruit trees) can also be hung in front of problem windows.
Products and materials:
- Bird flash tape – Amazon has several varieties; some nurseries carry it.
- Decals and UV liquid – from WindowAlert.com
- Film, screen, and other – www.FLAP.org
- 15 products that prevent window strikes – www.BirdWatchingDaily.com
If a bird does hit your window, pick it up immediately, put it in a snug, padded container, place the container in a warm, dark place (a heating pad on low under half of the box is recommended), and call Wildcare Eastern Sierra.