Are birds colliding with your home or office’s windows? Are you wondering about solutions to prevent this from happening? The Solar Art team are window solution experts so let’s explore what you can do to prevent it.
Businesses, and homeowners are opting for bigger windows, but few realize the danger these windows pose to the wildlife around us. In fact, up to one billion birds die every year in the US by colliding with windows. With urban areas spreading into migratory zones and general wildlife regions, these accidents negatively impact the wild bird population and the problem will only get worse.
Impacts can stun and injure a bird, and they will often die later from internal injuries and brain damage. Also, laying on the ground stunned makes birds vulnerable to predators, even if they were to survive the impact otherwise. Birds rarely survive window strikes at one stage or another.
Turns out, birds are endangered by windows in two ways: during the day and at night. Birds don’t understand glass like we do; they don’t know it’s a clear, solid boundary. During the day, they see their habit or the sky reflected in the windows and think it’s open space that they can use.
During the night, birds are drawn to the lights in our homes and offices, which is especially a problem for night migratory birds. Inclement weather like fog makes the problem worse. Interior lights also cause them to collide with each other and get pulled off course.
You want to know how to help birds live safely around your windows. While window film is the most helpful solution, you can also look around your home. Don’t keep feeders and plants closer than twenty or so feet of your home. Think of installing reflective streamers in front of your windows to distract them and break the reflection. Finally, bright or white window shades break the reflection more from the inside.
But like we said, window film is the most complete solution. You can’t always draw your blinds, and maybe streamers interfere with your views. Decorative window film is the solution. There is actually a decorative window film made specifically to increase bird safety. Solyx, by Decorative Films makes this decorative window film, called Bird Safety film. As you can see below, the window film has a fine pattern with stripes 2-4 inches apart, which breaks the reflection for birds. Designs like this are ideal.
Decorative window film lets you cover the whole window, and you also keep your own view from the inside. What makes a huge difference for our feathered friends makes little impact on how much light you get. Window film is also easily installed by experts who do this every day.
Window film also gives you more privacy and saves you money by making your windows more energy efficient. A good move for the birds is also a good move for the humans--who knew window film was a win-win! Talk to Solar Art today about protecting birds from your windows.