Hello Birdie!

Every spring, the birds overflow with music

A choral extravaganza bursts forth

Cheerful voices, echoing through the trees

Filling our ears, virgin melodies of spring

-Avian Chorus, by Poetic Alchemist

March is not only the start of March Madness. March 20, 2023 is the date where we seasonally move from winter to the next season.

Spring is a wonderful time to enjoy the beauty and diversity of birds. But it also brings a risk of birds flying into windows and getting injured or killed. Why does this happen? Birds may not see glass as a solid barrier, or they may be confused by reflections of trees, sky, or other birds on the window.

And meads washed fragrant by their laughing springs.

Fresh are new opened flowers, untouched and free

From the bold rifling of the amorous bee.

The happy time of singing birds is come,

And Love's own season hath begun.

- Spring Morning, by John Clare

Thankfully, there are some simple, useful and humane ways we can help prevent this problem and protect our feathered friends:

Apply strips of tape, UV decals, window film, or window-safe paint to the outside of your windows. These will break up the reflection and make it more visible to birds1.

Apply a layer of soap to the outside of your windows. This will create a dull surface that birds will avoid.

If you can swing it financially, try replacing your windows with ultraviolet glass. This type of glass reflects UV light that birds can see but humans can’t. If you can’t afford to update all of your windows, try updating just the ones where birds usually fly into and injure themselves.

Add bird-saver paracords or nylon lines to the outside of your windows. These will create a visual barrier that birds will perceive as an obstacle2.

Move your bird feeders and baths closer to or further away from your windows. If they are too close, birds may hit the window when they take off or land. If they are too far away, birds may fly towards them at full speed and not notice the glass3.

The cuckoo is a pretty bird,

She singeth as she flies;

She bringeth us good tidings,

She telleth us no lies;

She sucketh all sweet flowers

To keep her throttle cleat,

And every time she singeth

Cuckoo-cuckoo-cuckoo!

The summer draweth near.

-The Cuckoo, by Anonymous

While we can’t keep all birds safe all the time, these tips can help us keep birds from flying into windows so that we can enjoy their lovely presence every day knowing that we’re doing our best to keep them safe 🐦

Credits:

A Spring Morning by John Clare

Avian Chorus by Poetic Alchemist