tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post155999680853133331..comments2009-10-30T00:57:15.452-04:00Comments on Sibley Guides Notebook: A Potential Simple Method for "Bird-Proofing" WindowsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-23470904697379256402008-12-27T10:33:00.000-05:002008-12-27T10:33:00.000-05:00Barry McGurkHere in South Africa we don't have bir...Barry McGurk<BR/><BR/>Here in South Africa we don't have birds flying into the windows but a wood pecker pecking at the mirrored glass bathroom windows. He sits there for long periods pecking away....driving us mad and waking us every morning.<BR/><BR/>I'll try the UV pen and Iv'e ordered some UV decals...will let you know the outcome<BR/><BR/>Barry McGurkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-2103394537169950342008-03-18T11:49:00.000-04:002008-03-18T11:49:00.000-04:00Thanks for the report! I've been watching my windo...Thanks for the report! I've been watching my windows over the winter and thinking of renewing this discussion. The really interesting (confusing) thing here is that window collisions have stopped, even though I don't have any preventive measures up right now. So I'm ready to start some new experiments but I can't really start the next experiment if birds aren't hitting the window. Weird.<BR/><BR/David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-54902592004612068142008-03-18T11:08:00.000-04:002008-03-18T11:08:00.000-04:00Well, discussion on this issue seems to have slowe...Well, discussion on this issue seems to have slowed with the changing position of the sun and decreased daylight. But now the number of daylight hours is increasing again. . . I'm sure we all experience window strikes at varying times that change with the seasons, and I was getting 2-3 strikes a day last fall--my house has many large windows, and I have birdfeeders. As soon as the highlighter Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-48021500123437362322008-01-04T11:49:00.000-05:002008-01-04T11:49:00.000-05:00Dear "Only Creekers",I'm anxious to try that windo...Dear "Only Creekers",<BR/><BR/>I'm anxious to try that window film myself. I did hear from someone at an Audubon center in PA where they use it. He said it was 100% effective at stopping bird strikes, and had the added benefit of making activity inside the building invisible to the birds, so birds will feed close to the window without being disturbed. On the other hand it does cut down on the David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-55582321821468469422008-01-03T14:25:00.000-05:002008-01-03T14:25:00.000-05:00I was reading about the anti-collision film on the...I was reading about the anti-collision film on the FLAP.org site that can be applied to the windows. It is somewhat costly, but I could "adopt a window" every couple of months until they are all covered if it was going to work. The virtues are that it has no negative impact on the homeowners view and is supposed to be 100% effective. The downside is that it erodes over time and has a "life" of Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03364009105348414704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-55959846967476444502007-12-09T23:57:00.000-05:002007-12-09T23:57:00.000-05:00We have two large windows on either end of our liv...We have two large windows on either end of our living room. Both windows have vertical blinds which we mostly keep in the drawn but open position - meaning the blinds are in place across the window, but are cantilevered so that we can see between the slats. The few times that we have pulled the blinds back (so that they are grouped at either side of the glass), we have had bird strikes during theNormahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13831439049749786685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-60950442622959611382007-12-09T17:23:00.000-05:002007-12-09T17:23:00.000-05:00My house has large expanses of picture windows ass...My house has large expanses of picture windows assumably with a low "E" rating. My solution was to hang single, clear, plastic "icicles" in front of the windows which provide a visual obstruction as well as a reflection. Though not perfect, these cheap devices have significantly reduced birds hitting the windows. Anecdotally, I have noticed that bird hits seem to occur more frequently when thebashman Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10342795101357445922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-43578743897350295582007-12-05T14:40:00.000-05:002007-12-05T14:40:00.000-05:00From a reader in CT first commenting Nov 19th: I w...From a reader in CT first commenting Nov 19th: I wanted to update you on how the highlighter on my French doors was working. During the last week when it was cloudy or raining the number of strikes rose. I wasn't home but my husband heard some strikes and there were feathers on the windows. This past weekend it's been sunny both days. While I've been home, there have been no strikes. I've seen David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-76410136027901290022007-11-23T16:39:00.001-05:002007-11-23T16:39:00.001-05:00Emory building draped in black to save birdsMany c...Emory building draped in black to save birds<BR/>Many crash into environmentally friendly design with soaring glass windows<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2007/11/23/evbirds_1123.htmlUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13387559982522557659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-57244023790955886722007-11-21T11:08:00.000-05:002007-11-21T11:08:00.000-05:00I thought it might be useful to have the citation ...I thought it might be useful to have the citation information for the grid spacing; Klem's research suggests that a uniform pattern that has spaces no larger than 5-10 cm reduce windowstrikes.<BR/><BR/>Klem, 1990. Collisions between birds and windows: mortality and prevention. J. Field Ornithol. 61(1):120-128sittahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08095472433698251150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-84622224833613579672007-11-20T11:21:00.000-05:002007-11-20T11:21:00.000-05:00Thanks for the update on probably needing to repai...Thanks for the update on probably needing to repaint my windows with highlighter weekly. That's a small chore and still much cheaper than the bird net. Not to mention that the highlighter doesn't interfere with my own view to the outside.<BR/><BR/>Carolyn H.Carolyn Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03179182853082650546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-71088416297164914572007-11-20T06:27:00.000-05:002007-11-20T06:27:00.000-05:00Michael left this comment:------------------------...Michael left this comment:<BR/>----------------------------<BR/>Just pointing out a few issues:<BR/><BR/>UV light is high-energy, it is what ‘sun fades’ many materials. Thus any ink or dye that reflects it is likely to break down rather quickly unless it is notably stable.<BR/><BR/>Inks & dyes that reflect a lot of low-UV/upper visible light may not be actually all that strong UV reflectors in David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-56643421186641856252007-11-19T17:05:00.000-05:002007-11-19T17:05:00.000-05:00Contrary to what I said earlier, according to what...Contrary to what I said earlier, according to what I read around the Web normal window glass actually DOES filter out most UV light (I believe birds see UV-A, but there is also UV-B and UV-C, all of which I think get filtered), so it again raises the issue of marking inside vs. outside the window. I assume most people reporting results are marking on the inside (might be good if folks stated cyberthrushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01883119145892591610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-68521139312413879922007-11-19T14:31:00.000-05:002007-11-19T14:31:00.000-05:00We live in a log home with lots of windows. We hav...We live in a log home with lots of windows. We have at least four strikes an hour, some fatal. We have tried decals and silver ribbon, but to no avail. We will try the marker, but I am interested in knowing if the Woolite solution actually works. Thank you for the ideas to keep our birds safe. Chrischrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00757848738482157379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-59376850138182359382007-11-19T13:27:00.000-05:002007-11-19T13:27:00.000-05:00Hi, I just bought a small feeder for my window wit...Hi, I just bought a small feeder for my window with suction cups. I put it up mainly for the chickadees who get kicked out of the large feeder by all the house sparrows. I hope I haven't made a mistake. I would hate to see something happen to these little guys.<BR/><BR/>JoanneJoannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18223002479817774743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-53681232928400938772007-11-19T11:57:00.000-05:002007-11-19T11:57:00.000-05:00I remember that my brother used Woolite (detergent...I remember that my brother used Woolite (detergent used to wash wool and other delicates)to paint pitures on his walls as a teenager. The detergent was only visible under a black light. I have not tested this on windows for birds but I wonder if a wash on the inside of the window would work. If it works then the whole window would be solid instead of a grid.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05819693361653125524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-44987531761828166732007-11-19T09:24:00.000-05:002007-11-19T09:24:00.000-05:00I had a couple feeders up at the windows of my old...I had a couple feeders up at the windows of my old place and i didnt have any birds running into the windows but maybe thats be cause my cats sat there in the window watching the birds all day .byrdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04692350167442196114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-1019764578712609512007-11-19T06:39:00.000-05:002007-11-19T06:39:00.000-05:00Another reader writes:a friend told me about your ...Another reader writes:<BR/>a friend told me about your highlighter experiment. I had recently added spider decals to the other decals on my windows after an immature yellow bellied sapsucker crashed into one and died a few weeks ago. I was still having strikes with the decals. I washed all the windows this weekend and used yellow highlighter on three French doors that lead out to a deck. I had noDavid Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-74272940952956177772007-11-18T20:06:00.000-05:002007-11-18T20:06:00.000-05:00I've got an even easier solution. Lose the bird f...I've got an even easier solution. Lose the bird feeders. This would solve not only the window strike problem but a host of other ones.<BR/><BR/>Jason Rogers<BR/>Banff, AB<BR/>hawkowl@hotmail.comJason Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06577871022992465626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-77773110478495854782007-11-18T16:45:00.000-05:002007-11-18T16:45:00.000-05:00Solar gain would probably be only slightly affecte...Solar gain would probably be only slightly affected. First, the area covered by a grid or other openwork design would likely be a small fraction of the total area of the window to be effective. Second, the ink/paint would be ideally transparent in the visible so we humans wouldn't see it, so that means about 1/2 the energy for sure would be transmitted. Third, it's also likely that the UV ink Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15557051492422688163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-78622316869941750522007-11-18T16:00:00.000-05:002007-11-18T16:00:00.000-05:00Here's another source of ultraviolet marking pens....Here's another source of ultraviolet marking pens. http://www.globright.com/invisibleinkpen.html These pans have ink not suitable for skin, but are to be used for marking plastics and glass etc. Probably worth a try because they call the ink permanent.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15557051492422688163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-78014756823079504072007-11-18T12:14:00.000-05:002007-11-18T12:14:00.000-05:00Would the ink affect the solar gain for a passive ...Would the ink affect the solar gain for a passive solar house?<BR/><BR/>Martha Harris<BR/>Earthaven Ecovillage<BR/>Black Mountain NCMartha Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16677105529200166579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-2369781276330520042007-11-18T11:15:00.000-05:002007-11-18T11:15:00.000-05:00Thanks Harvey,On the same website I checked out th...Thanks Harvey,<BR/><BR/>On the same website I checked out the "sunlight stable" page which says this about ordinary fluorescent inks:<BR/>"The organic inks are much brighter and less expensive, but will fade in about 1 week if left to sit under the sun."<BR/>I don't know if this applies to highlighter ink, but it might, meaning that birds might start hitting the window after a week or less and David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-40246141919426992162007-11-18T10:57:00.000-05:002007-11-18T10:57:00.000-05:00Check this web site for "permanent" ultraviolet in...Check this web site for "permanent" ultraviolet ink. http://www.maxmax.com/aUVBlueInvisibleInks.htm I'm sure there are competitors. A 15 sec Google search turned this one up.<BR/><BR/>Harvey<BR/>Hamilton, NY<BR/>Hambirders Yahoo GroupUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15557051492422688163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723269882919206612.post-33663603173112037282007-11-18T06:53:00.000-05:002007-11-18T06:53:00.000-05:00A reader from El Paso reports:"We have two large p...A reader from El Paso reports:<BR/>"We have two large plate glass windows that used to be covered on the inside with dark wooden blinds. We got strikes continually and nothing that I tried worked. Then I redecorated the room and replaced the dark wooden blinds with wooden blinds that have a much lighter stain. The strikes stopped 100%. As long as I keep the blinds down - whether the slats are David Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17594789223586882529noreply@blogger.com