Poor Little Birdie

As I went into the sunroom to open the windows before walking on the treadmill I noticed a beautiful (dead) bird on the steps. I identified it as a Yellow-Throated Warbler with the help of my Peterson's bird guide. It had obviously hit its head on the glass and it make both of us feel really really bad.

I came out the back door to check on him so that if he "woke up" and flew he wouldn't fly right into the sunroom through the door.

How beautiful can nature be? It's overwhelming to me sometimes.

It's estimated that over 90 million birds die this way every year. You can see the feathers (upper right of photo) still stuck to the glass where he hit.

Is it any wonder that birds fly into glass? It looks like there are trees and bushes through that white frame.

Saeed immediately got on the computer and found some websites with tips for what to do to minimize the incidence of birds crashing into our windows. There are products you can put on the glass that look clear to those of us looking out but opaque from the outside, with no reflection to confuse the birds.

Within minutes he was measuring our windows. Do we love animals or what?!

The idea, of course, it to change the birds' perception of what they are seeing in the reflection. Here are some basic tips from a website called "How To". The following is from that site:

Things You’ll Need:

• Bird Silhouette Decals
• Poultry Netting
• Hanging Plants
• Wind Chimes

Step1

Go outside and assess the "bird's-eye view" of windows. Look at anything that would give birds the impression that there is no barrier at the window glass.

Step2

Put inexpensive stick-on silhouettes of hawks, falcons or owls on outside of window.

Step3

Hang plants, streamers, wind chimes, or other objects outside the window.

Step4

Move feeders away from large picture windows.

Step5

Put a barrier of garden netting outside the window. This is most effective if firmly mounted about a foot away from the glass.