Here’s an easy way to avoid bird window strikes in your home. I have been pondering solutions for our windows since we moved into our new home last September, and four birds hit our front window within a week. Everything I have looked up so far seemed unworkable. Nets, window coatings, suspended window screens. All those solutions blocked the view and were costly and/or labour intensive to implement. A trip to the Inglewood bird sanctuary provided the answer to my dilemma; feather guards. Essentially they are constructed of ribbon, feathers, and beads. Birds have a natural aversion to loose feathers – they signal danger to the birds. I have constructed mine from found feathers and put them in the location where the birds are likely to strike the window. Thread two beads onto some “curling” ribbon. The beads are to weight the ribbon down. Insert a feather or two into the upper bead, and hang it outside over the window. I modified the bird sanctuary design by adding some small balls of wool to the string. The wool prevents the beads from tapping against the window.
I am thinking this will be a good excuse to go to the bead store and get some nice glass-work beads. Of course an economical solution is to use buttons and string.
There are commercial strike-guards available, but why not make your own?
-Alison Lait
