Have you witnessed the sad effects of one too many bird-window collisions? Our friends at American Bird Conservancy are marketing a new translucent window tape that can warn birds away from plates of glass.
As many as one billion birds die each year because they can’t perceive the clear glass in most windows. Sometimes they’re killed immediately by the impact; other times, they fly away injured to die elsewhere or be eaten by a cat, dog or raccoon.
Homeowners and builders have a number of options for bird-safe windows, ranging from cheap-and-easy to more costly and high-tech:
- Applying silhouettes of birds or other shapes to the window.
- Painting temporary images on windows, like retail stores often do for holiday decorations.
- Applying a darkening film to the window.
- Using shades and blinds to visually interrupt a glass surface.
- Etching an artistic design into the glass.
- Installing Ornilux windows, which are embedded with a UV pattern that is mostly invisible to humans but visible to birds.
- Installing fritted windows that are embedded with sandlike ceramic grains that are visible to birds.
The ABC’s new BirdTape may not be for everyone. Although translucent, it still creates lines or shapes on windows that some homeowners may find unsightly. But at a cost as low as $10.95 for a 75-foot roll, it’s another option at the lower-cost end of the spectrum.
On a broader policy level, Golden Gate Bird Alliance continues to advocate for local laws promoting bird-safe buildings. Last September, the city of San Francisco adopted Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings that include sections on safer windows as well as night lighting and the construction of wind turbines in the urban environment.
In coming months, GGBA will be working to bring similar standards to cities in the East Bay. If you’d like to help with this effort, contact GGBA at ggas@goldengateaudubon.org.