Walk in the Wild
May 21, 2016 Festivities from 9am to 2pm
Walden Ponds Open Space
Join the Wild Bird Company, Boulder County Audubon, Environment for the Americas, and many more as we celebrate International Migratory Bird Day at Walden Ponds on May 21, 2016 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Go on a bird walk, visit the education stations, bid on silent auction items, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Walden Ponds. Please come for part or all of the events to spend some time with fellow bird brains.
Note: Volunteers Needed! The Wild Bird Company is helping sponsor Environment for the Americas celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. We need volunteers to help with some educational booths from 9:00am to 12:30pm. The booths will be about the feather trade and a migration game. No need for extensive knowledge on these subjects, just a willing attitude. Please consider helping out. Call 303-499-1950 for more information.
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Warbler Time
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Yellow Warbler
©Kevin Rutherford
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We are entering the prime of warbler migration. The jewels of the bird world can be both hard to find and hard to identify. The authors of the Warbler Guide have a great blog spot with downloadable warbler charts. It's a great resource.
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Ask Steve 
Q: Why do birds hit the window and how can I prevent it?
A: Birds fly into windows because they are flying toward the house and the outside surface of the glass is reflecting what is behind them, giving the illusion that they can fly right through. Bird window collisions are one of the top causes of bird mortality, estimated at 100 million North American Birds per year.
As stated above, it is the outside surface of your window that is reflective. You can easily see this if you stand in front of your window and look in. You really don't see inside your house as much as you see yourself and what is behind you. All measures to prevent bird collisions must be placed outside because the reflection comes from the outside surface of the glass. We sell decals which go on the outside of the window and help show the birds that there is a surface which should be avoided. These decals work pretty well at steering the birds clear of the window or at least lessening the impact, making it more survivable. Other measures include using beads, wind chimes, or streamers in front of the window to break up that reflection and signal to the birds that it is not a clear pass-through. When I lived in the mountains, I had very deep sills on the windows which I stretched fine netting across. I would occasionally see birds "trampoline" off the netting much to their surprise.
Often home owners find only a few of their windows are problematic. This usually has to do with the size and orientation of the window, as well as, the backdrop the window looks onto. It may take a few stickers per window to adequately safeguard the window, but you shouldn't have to cover all the windows.
Customers often ask if bird feeders and window feeders increase the chances of bird collisions. The answer is no, in fact, having a feeder close to or on the window will help show the birds that the glass is a surface. If birds are flying from your feeder and then hitting the window, the solution might be to move the feeder closer to the window. This way, the birds can't get up to speed before they hit the window.
Research is ongoing to help prevent window bird collisions. Some promising areas are additives in glass which show in the bird-visible ultraviolet spectrum or simply angling windows about 7° downward so the reflections show the ground.
Q: Why is my robin fighting the window?
A: This question is somewhat related to the last one because it involves window reflections. Robins and other birds, especially other thrushes, engage in this behavior of fighting with their reflections. This is a territorial response where the bird is trying to drive off what it sees as a rival in its territory - its own reflection. The bird may only engage in this behavior at certain times of the day or it may be at it all day. There are some things you can do to reduce this behavior, but it is temporary. As soon as all the eggs are laid and being incubated, the birds will be far less bothered by rivals in its territory (i.e. no more chance of rivals fooling around with their mate).
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American Robin ©Steve Frye
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This behavior is rarely fatal, but the bird can expend a lot of energy and even bloody themselves fighting their reflections. Birds don't hit the window like they do in a window strike, these birds are pulling up as their reflection nears so they can fight it. Solutions to this problem are similar to window strikes, but you may have to more completely take away the reflection of the outside glass surface. This behavior usually takes place on the window sill so covering up the bottom part of the window is usually sufficient to stop this behavior. An easy way to cover the outside of the window is just to soap it using bar soap. This will take away the reflection and you can simply wash the window a couple of weeks later when the bird will have moved on to different behaviors. If you successfully stop the bird from fighting in its favorite spot, it may move to a different window and continue. You may not be able to completely eliminate this behavior, but it is temporary.
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Save 20% On
All Bags of
Regal Blend
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Northern Cardinal ©Steve Frye
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Regal is a mostly shell-free mix of nuts, fruits, and hulled sunflowers. Great in a hopper or on a platform feeder.
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[Note: When purchasing online, discount
will be applied during checkout]
Not to be combined with other offers. Expires 6/30/16.
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