Kamikaze Birds!!
July 11th 2006 06:06
How to help the Unfortunate
I read the other day that it is estimated over 1 billion birds die each year in the U.S. as a result of flying into the windows of houses and apartment blocks.
1 billion!! My God!!
I must admit I stifled a laugh at the thought. 1 billion birds...that's a lot of exploding tufts of feathers. Perhaps, as Alfred Hitchock suggests, they are all out to get us (that would explain the high incidence bird poo landing on my head! I mean, with all the avaliable land area, what are the chances really? I am convinced they are taking aim).
Paranoia aside, and after my initial jolt of humour from some disturbing statistics, I trawled the net in search of a way to possibly reduce the insidence of this happening. What can we do to help? I'm not sure we can control the bastards taking aim, but we can turn the other cheek and help them stop kamikaze diving into our window panes. Here's some tips from Audubon:
Window Shades and Blinds
White coloured blinds or shades can reduce the refelction of the outdoors, and help minimise the illusion to birds that there is space beyond the barrier of the glass.
Bird Feeder
Bird Feeders placed quite close to the window can help reduce injury as the birds do not have enought time to reach a high velocity in flight.
Tilted Glass
If so inclined in the building stages of a home, you may want to tilt the glass so that the ground is reflected, rather than possible escape routes for birds.
Bird Netting
I must admit I had to laugh when I heard this one. A suggestion is to stretch a fine mesh netting over the area of the window frame, so that when birds come careening in, they bounceoff, rather than smash into, the window. Your choice.
Hope it all helps, or I guess you could take no action and smile knowlingly the next time white droplets splatter you from above.
I read the other day that it is estimated over 1 billion birds die each year in the U.S. as a result of flying into the windows of houses and apartment blocks.
1 billion!! My God!!
Paranoia aside, and after my initial jolt of humour from some disturbing statistics, I trawled the net in search of a way to possibly reduce the insidence of this happening. What can we do to help? I'm not sure we can control the bastards taking aim, but we can turn the other cheek and help them stop kamikaze diving into our window panes. Here's some tips from Audubon:
Window Shades and Blinds
White coloured blinds or shades can reduce the refelction of the outdoors, and help minimise the illusion to birds that there is space beyond the barrier of the glass.
Bird Feeder
Bird Feeders placed quite close to the window can help reduce injury as the birds do not have enought time to reach a high velocity in flight.
Ground reflected from tilted window
If so inclined in the building stages of a home, you may want to tilt the glass so that the ground is reflected, rather than possible escape routes for birds.
Bird Netting
I must admit I had to laugh when I heard this one. A suggestion is to stretch a fine mesh netting over the area of the window frame, so that when birds come careening in, they bounceoff, rather than smash into, the window. Your choice.
Hope it all helps, or I guess you could take no action and smile knowlingly the next time white droplets splatter you from above.
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