Birds Hitting Window

This happened at the last place I lived. My neighbor had a couple of huge trees with berries on them. Around this time of the year the berries would rot and the bird would eat them and get drunk.

You could have two problems. The first might be, that the window is too clean, and they think they can fly through it. They simply can't see the glass.

The second problem might be that they have a nest nearby, and they are attempting to defend their turf against their own reflections, and are attempting to dive-bomb the glass.

Either way, a window film might help. Even if it wouldn't, just calling a company that installs window film, they might be able to suggest something? (If there is a place where they could perch, beware of mirrored window film. My husband and mother have both worked at business with mirrored film on the glass, and the birds perch, and peck at their own reflections ALL THE TIME. Really creepy, when vultures do it.)

That's awful for them Unfortunately the window act as a mirror, and they can't tell the difference from the windows, and outside. Maybe try something on the outside of the windows like news papers or a sheet or something. I would suggest calling your local animal control center for tips. Good luck!

There are decals you can buy and stick on your windows so the birds can "see" the glass. We have a "Wild Birds" store in our town that sells them. The ones I've seen are clear with a texture that must reflect the light on the outside and scare away the birds. I haven't gotten to the store yet, and the robins have been hitting my office window. In the meantime, I've stuck post it notes onto the glass and haven't had any hits since.

We used to have robins that would constantly fly into the stained glass window at our church. Never did figure out why, exactly. Maybe, like Amanda mentioned, they were trying to "defend their nest" against something they were seeing in the window (some aspect of the stained glass?)... since there was an entire row of these windows along that wall of the church. But the stained glass in each was different.

Or, it could be their own reflection they are seeing since you only have the one window? I like the idea of trying sticking post-it notes on the glass. LOL

You must be using that Windex they show on Tv! Lol.

They sure don't make that mistake at my house. LOL

I heard too that if you have one of those berry trees (you know the ones we were always told were poison when we were little) around that the berries make a bird drunk and then they tend to run into windows. Not sure if that is true just what I heard.

Go to the web site www.forthewildbirds.com. They sell all kinds of bird-related items and should have decals you can put on the windows to prevent this. I bet that if you e-mail or call them and tell them your problem they may have other ideas as well!

Also, I believe there are films you can put on the exterior side of windows that are transparent to humans but make the windows more visible to birds and animals -- ask For the Wild Birds about that option if I'm right.

I don't like the idea that you have to let your window stay dirty to fix this issue. Try decals or other advice to fix it and still have a good-looking window. Another resource for advice might be a local bird-watchers club that knows the local birds and their habits around homes.

Please do take care of this. Imagine the birds flying away possibly badly injured, to die somewhere. Also, if one of them hits it just right they could crack the window. Is this a regular window or a very large one, or really a sliding glass door? If the latter, and if you live where there are deer -- beware. Male deer (bucks) have been known to attack what they think are rival bucks when what they're seeing is their own reflection in a large ground-level window or glass door. I knew someone whose office, which had ceiling-to-floor windows, was attacked by a buck that charged the window, shattered it as it came through, and wrecked the office because the buck was injured and flailing inside the office. The buck had to be put down by animal control and the office cleaned up and the huge window replaced (costly!). This won't apply if you're not where there are deer near homes but it really does happen....

I read somewhere that when birds fly into a window near where you are sitting it means you have a very positive aura.

:)

(I think your windows are too damn clean, girl!)

It will get dirty and they will stop. One of the funniest things I notice when I clean the windows is the increase in dive bombings.

The window is clean, they can't see it! When it gets dirty they will be able to see it.

The windows are like mirrors – if you go outside and look at them from the birds' level, you'll see sky and trees, or whatever is facing your house from the outdoors. The birds think they're flying into open space or into a tree. The cleaner the windows, the clearer the outdoor reflections will look. Even if situated so there are no outdoor reflections, birds can't see glass and may wish to land on a shelf or lamp they can see in the house, or fly into a cave-like space to find shelter or escape a hawk attack.

Hanging stuff inside doesn't change the mirror effect much, unless you pretty much block the window with light-colored drapes or blinds, which will cut down on the mirror effect.

Other solutions include putting screens or window film on the outside, or strips of tape, or streaks of soap, to reduce the mirroring or make it more apparent that a surface exists.

Bird feeders within three feet of the window give the local population of birds a chance to educate themselves, to study that glassy surface and see themselves reflected, and even if they do fly into the window from the feeder, they probably haven't gained enough speed to hurt themselves. There are also transparent decals made especially to prevent bird hits, but they are only partly successful, and have to be closely spaced.

If you google "birds hitting windows" you'll find additional suggestions to reduce the problem. Good luck – to you and to the birds!

We had the same problem on my son's bedroom window. I had some cheap green tulle (like a wedding veil) that I put over the outside of the window. I just put it up with 4 thumb tacks and left it up for a couple weeks. The birds went away. My tulle was green because that was the color that I already had.

If you have a spot you can hang something from outside the window, get a fake owl to hang up. The birds will think a larger bird is living there and stay away.