In our experience, people quickly adjust to bird-friendly design solutions, often forgetting that they are even there. We have also found that when family, friends, or customers notice the pattern and learn its purpose, they appreciate the effort to protect birds. If you're looking to retrofit existing windows, there is a wide range of solutions from which to select, depending upon personal preferences.
If you are designing a new building or replacing windows, consider the professional solutions favored by architects. Many of these elegant products have enjoyed long-standing popularity among architects for their aesthetic appeal alone.
For more on designing a new building or replacing windows, visit the "Resources for Architects, Planners, and Developers" tab on our learn more page. Looking for inspiration? Check out our pdf slideshow of 44 bird-friendly buildings. Bird-friendly window products have little impact on views. Photo by Arenal Observatory Lodge. Light does increase collision numbers, but not directly.
Recent studies confirm that urban glow attracts birds into the human-built environment, where they run a higher risk of collisions. Migratory birds traveling at night are also attracted by intense lights contrasted against the night sky.
These lights can thoroughly disrupt birds' ability to navigate, effectively trapping them around the light. However, as light pollution continues to brighten nighttime skies and the surrounding darkness needed to perpetuate the "beacon effect" is lost, this danger to migratory birds may well diminish. Despite the dangers posed by nighttime lights, it's important to note that most collisions take place during the day, when migratory birds are refueling to continue on their journeys.
The World Trade Center memorial light has a "beacon effect" upon birds. Houston, as viewed at night from space, demonstrates the growing impact of light pollution. Photo by NASA. A single decal may be enough to warn an alert human to expect a glass door, but for a bird it's simply an obstacle to fly around.
To successfully deter birds, decals and other collision deterrents must be applied with proper spacing to create the illusion of a cluttered environment through which it would be difficult or impossible to fly. You can learn more here. Remember to make sure that whichever pattern you use on your windows should not have any spaces more than two inches wide. The first thing to do is document the problem.
Take photos of the dead birds you find and keep a list of numbers and dates. If there is a facilities or maintenance department, ask what they have noticed; they are usually responsible for cleaning up birds that have died after hitting glass and may be great allies who help you collect data or convince building managers of the danger to birds.
After documenting the problem, review the window solutions on ABC's site , contact the building owner or manager to tell her or him about the problem, and provide advice or resources such as this blog on how to address it.
Keep in mind that you are making a request and looking for a partner to save birds, so be sure to keep these interactions positive and non-confrontational. Avoid vilifying the responsible party for a collision problem that they likely had no idea existed. You can also talk to people who live, work, or shop in the building in question to see if anyone else shares your concerns.
If so, ask them if they would like to be involved. By working with others, you build a collective voice that can draw more attention to the problem.
Remember, there are many ways to get involved. These include helping with monitoring, writing letters to building owners, attending meetings with building management, and organizing community action. Window imprint from bird collision. Photos by David Fancher. Buildings designed without bird-friendly design principles have the potential to be deadly for birds. A variety of factors determine the level of the threat they pose, including the amount of glass used, placement and reflectivity of the glass, the height and extent of vegetation around the building, and the presence of water, among other things.
Given the extremely low cost of constructing a bird-friendly building, we believe that all new buildings — not just glass-covered skyscrapers — should incorporate bird-friendly features. There are several ways to help make this happen. The first is to develop and pass a local ordinance requiring the adoption of bird-friendly building standards in your community. To download an easy-to-use ordinance template, click here.
You can also take a look at our list of existing ordinances mandating bird-friendly design or creating voluntary standards. Keep in mind that ordinances tend to apply to large buildings and exempt low rises and homes, so it is important to make sure that the ordinance applies to as many buildings as possible. Consider approaching the developers of new and proposed building projects with your concerns. Insect screens on the outside of windows can significantly reduce reflection and provide a bit of cushioning if a bird does fly into it.
Be sure to leave the screens on year-round. External shades, solar screens, and awnings also minimize reflections. Birds striking a window in full flight are often killed outright. Others may have internal injuries to which they succumb later, but some birds are only temporarily out of action. Putting them in a dark, warm, quiet place lets them gather their wits about them, and then they can be released after 15 or 20 minutes," says Holloran.
Place the bird in a box with a lid, and be sure to keep cats away while you wait for it to recover. After 20 minutes, if the bird doesn't fly away on its own, "or if you noticed a bad injury at the outset, call a wildlife rehabilitator. They will advise and may ask you to bring the bird to them," says Chu. While windows bring welcome garden views and sunshine into our homes, they pose a lethal threat to wild birds.
But with a few simple adjustments, you can help your winged visitors avoid that danger. And if you want to watch the birds and still keep them safe, move the bird feeder within three feet of the window. It lessens the chance that they'll gain enough speed to hurt themselves on the window if they need to escape a surprise predator.
Visual barriers should also be placed outside of the window in order to eliminate the mirror effect. By Roxanna Coldiron. Save Pin More. This collision-proof tape makes windows visible to birds without obstructing outdoor views, and from the inside of your home, it will be as if you are looking through a screen door. Bird Tape can be tinted to match the color of your home, or you can have printed images to give your home some more style.
One way to remedy this issue is to install a transparent film over your window. Products like Collidescape allow people to see clearly through their window from the inside but will look opaque to everyone else.
The transparent film can reduce the amount of light that comes in your window and can also reduce your cooling costs. In order to properly install the film , you first clean, rinse and measure the surface of the window, and then you dampen the entire exterior surface with a hose or spray bottle.
For better adhesion, add a drop of dishwashing detergent to the water. Adding film will give you a unique one-way windows that serve as an effective bird stop. Another method that will keep birds away from your window is to add strips of tape or collision stickers to the outside surface. Use white tape that can withstand wind and rain. The strips of chart tape you can attach to the window.
It is up to you to decide what to attach to your window along with these tape strips. Put large window decals, collision stickers, sun catchers, mylar strips, masking tape, or other objects like sticky notes on the outside surface.
Note that bird flying silhouettes, especially those that resemble big birds like hawks, do little to deter birds. Placing just one or two stickers on large glass windows will not prevent collisions. They must cover most of the glass with the spaces in between being too narrow for birds to fly through. Reflective window shades are responsible for blocking out the reflection of sunlight.
Transparency will be either minimized or eliminated with the addition of sun shades or awnings to your window. Different sun shades provide support in two different window exterior systems.
The Manual Crank System operates by using a worm gear. A crank wand is inserted into an eyelit that raises or lowers the shade depending on the direction in which you rotate the crank. Minimal care and cleaning will be enough to keep your Polar Shades functioning , though they might need light dusting on a regular basis.
A soft, clean cloth or feather duster should remove the light dust and debris. You can also lightly vacuum the shade fabric if you prefer deeper cleaning. FeatherGuard Window Warnings perform that job.
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