How to Stop Birds from Crashing into Your Windows

There is a very large picture window in the front of my house that provides a pleasant view at all times of the year. However, birds seem to have trouble realizing that the window is, in fact, a window. A couple of troubling events has led me to take action to make sure that they understand not to fly into it.

A couple of months ago, my daughter came in the front door of our house and informed me that there were bird parts scattered about the front porch. I went outside and was saddened to find the remains of a bird that had obviously been eaten by some opportunistic animal.

I had noticed a mark on the window the previous day and surmised that yet another bird had run into it. What I did not realize, however, was that the bird had either fallen and died or had become so injured from the collision that it lay helpless until it was finally consumed.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a bang and knew immediately that another bird had struck the window. Concerned that the bird might be injured and eventually eaten by a predator, I went outside to see if the bird was okay. I found a semi-conscious bird lying in the landscape bed just about a foot from the window.

I brought the bird inside and put it in a box with no lid. It did not seem to know where it was or what was happening, but it was breathing, blinking, and standing up on its own. My wife tried calling some animal rescue organizations to see if they would accept the bird if we brought it to them. She had no luck. While we sat debating what we should do for the bird, it began looking around.

I went over and examined the bird to find that it was still heavily stunned, but appeared to understand where it was. It did not look frightened, but it did appear unfamiliar with its surroundings. This improvement made me hopeful that the bird was not injured too severely and might make a recovery.

As we were discussing what possibly getting the bird something to eat, it tried to fly away. It made it to our glass sliding door, but fell down. I could now tell, based on the fact that the bird could fly, that it had not suffered any broken wings or other broken bones. My wife suggested capturing the bird and releasing it to the backyard. I took the bird in my hands and let him out the back door. He flew about 50 feet and then landed near our shed. He still was not quite all with it, but he was free and, given a little time, would recover his senses.

Or so I thought. About 30 seconds after landing, another larger bird swooped in out of nowhere and attacked the still recovering bird. I ran out to try to rescue the helpless bird, but it was too late. The larger bird had already made off with its injured prey.

I felt sick inside that the bird which I had attempted to rescue was now dead. My wife and I vowed not to let another bird get killed due to the front window. But how could we stop the birds from running into it? My wife suggested stickers on the window, but we couldn't find anything we liked at the local stores.

When we got home, I searched on the internet and came across a site called windowalert.com. They sell window adhesives specifically designed to prevent birds from flying into windows. While the stickers appear clear to the human eye, they have a component in them that makes them "glow" to the eyes of birds. After deciding upon the particular stickers we wanted, I purchased a pack of four.

I have since applied the stickers to the window, and they actually look pretty nice. We chose stickers in the shapes of butterflies, but stickers shaped liked birds, maple leaves, squares, and snowflakes are also available. The four-pack of stickers cost me $6.95, and according to the website, the UV coating that makes them glow to the eyes of birds lasts around 9 to 12 months.

Since I have applied the stickers, we have had no problems with birds striking the windows. Hopefully, we won't have to witness the death of another helpless bird.