Just saw a stat that stopped me cold about window strikes

I was reading this report from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and it said up to 1 billion birds die from window collisions every year in the U.S. alone. That number just hit me different because I've only ever thought about the occasional thump at my house. But now I'm wondering if those of us with feeders close to glass are making things worse or better. Anyone know if putting feeders super close to windows actually helps birds avoid the impact?

2 comments

2 Comments

paulperry17d ago

Whoa, hold up. That 1 billion number is wild, but you've got it backwards with the feeder thing. Actually, putting feeders really close to windows - like within 3 feet - is one of the best things you can do. The idea is that if the bird is already close, it doesn't have enough speed to build up a fatal strike. It'll just bounce off and fly away usually. So yeah, you're not making it worse, you're actually helping if you keep it right up against the glass.

jake_hall8817d ago

Heard a story from a buddy who had his feeder about two feet from his sliding glass door. He said a chickadee smacked into the glass once, shook it off, and came right back to the feeder like nothing happened. Wouldn't try that with a feeder farther out, feels like you're just asking for trouble.