Birds and Glass--a Deadly Combination

(Wix)

As I was outside untangling partially frozen water hoses and enjoying a very spring-like morning, a flock of geese flew high overhead toward the northwest. Their raucous honking and signature V-shaped arrow underscored the reality that bird migration season is well underway. And that means many of them will lose their lives just trying to live.

So as migration season peaks for spring, I am devoting this blog space to two of my favorite subjects, glass and birds, in hopes that with just a bit of education, you too will do what you can to alleviate the carnage.

The American Bird Conservancy’s great article “Getting Clear on Birds and Glass” estimates that just in the U.S., over a billion birds die each year to glass strikes. That’s a staggering number—a heartbreaking number. If you’d like to learn more about the how and why of this problem, ABC’s article will not only inform but astound you. You can even learn how to take steps to address the owners of buildings in your area that cause bird collisions—and, of course, what you can do around your home to help birds survive migration.

Why do birds smash into windows? The simplest answer, though it’s incomplete, is that birds perceive glass as just more of the great outdoors. The shinier the window surface, the more likely it is that birds will hit it. And some birds, like Cardinals and Orioles, believe their reflections in glass are male rivals and will spend days fighting them, which not only deprives the birds of nutrition but can ultimately injure them.

If you’ve installed new windows in the last 10 years or so, you likely know that their surfaces are becoming quite mirror-like, often coated with a few layers of silver or other reflective oxides to help insulate, bead water, and block UV and IR rays, which fade carpet and upholstery. To us, the shinier the window's outer surface (called light one), the more efficient it is.

But to a bird, a window reflecting leaves and branches or blue sky and clouds is more environment to fly through—until it’s not.

A quick Internet search will yield lots of companies now making “bird-friendly” glass and films. The window panes are etched, coated with frit (fine glass grains), or even colored at fabrication. Or panes can be covered with decals, tapes, or films, or other means to disrupt the surface so that birds realize there’s an obstruction ahead and can react and avoid hitting the window. What you see from inside ranges from a minimal softening or light patterning to a completely frosted surface, depending on your needs and tastes.

Since most of us aren’t starting with a new build or can’t afford to retrofit our homes with the actual bird-friendly panes, the next best thing to do is use decals or films. My favorite so far is  SOLYX SX-BSFAC-02 Frost Bird Safety Film. It’s mostly clear, so it won’t overheat your double-paned windows and break the seals, which can sometimes be a problem in hotter climates, and it’s affixed by static cling and a slight amount of adhesive. The pattern is gorgeous, and it comes in a handy roll at 48 inches wide and customized to length for you. There’s a good video on the site about how to install the film, too. Here’s how it looks on my dining room center window (with thanks to Ryan Martin, Ridgeline Signs, Buena Vista), inside and out:

 If you’d rather just do smaller decals, consider the size of your windows--you’ll probably end up paying more for decals than with a film application if your window is large. Why? There are strict guidelines from American Bird Conservancy about how far apart those designs should be to be effective (no gap larger than 2 inches high by 4 inches wide). But if you’ve got a large window, that’s a lot of decals! So use these for smaller windows such as kitchen or bathroom. Decals usually come a few to a pack and are usually UV coated to alert birds, so buy enough to observe this size and spacing rule to be effective. Some decal sites include Window Alert and Lee Valley Feather Friendly Window Collision Tape (one 100-foot roll is enough for 16 square feet, or about the size of a patio door, according to the manufacturer). Keep in mind that UV coatings degrade after about 6 months, and note that according to ABC, not all birds see UV.

With habitat loss, wildfires, pesticides, and nighttime light pollution, birds have enough troubles without adding migration mortality from windows to their risks. In fact, here are some extra resources you may want to explore to become more bird-aware and discover more ways to save these beautiful creatures:

To learn about ABC’s efforts to make buildings and homes safer—and how it’s working­—check out the nationwide effort to educate everyone about glass and bird collisions.

Here are Seven Simple Ways to help keep birds safe as they migrate (in addition to window treatments, which are mentioned first).

Want real-time information on bird migration in your area? You can actually monitor how many birds are flying above you, day or night, during seasonal migrations with BirdCast, provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and UMassAmherst.

Last, here are two other great resources from the Cornell Lab: All About Birds, an extensive site to help you identify and learn about birds in your backyard and all over the world, and Merlin, award-winning bird ID software you can use on your phone or online.

Is this blog more about glass or birds? I don’t know. But I do know I don’t want to live in a world without them.

Happy Spring!