PSA: My neighbor's new feeder placement caused a window strike last Tuesday

He put a suet feeder directly opposite his big living room window, and a chickadee flew straight into the glass after leaving it. I told him to move the feeder either within 3 feet of the window or over 30 feet away to break up the reflection. Anyone else have to give this advice recently?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey_ward512mo ago

Oh man, a suet feeder right across from the window? That's like the worst spot possible, it's basically a trap. I saw a cardinal do that at my aunt's house last year, hit the glass so hard it left a little smudge. It's crazy how many people just don't know about the three foot rule. Good on you for telling him, hopefully he actually moves it.

nina_hall1mo ago

My neighbor's feeder was exactly ten feet from their patio door. We had three separate thumps in one week, a robin and two sparrows. They only moved it after I showed them the little feather marks on the glass.

markm272mo ago

Ugh, that smudge detail is so sad. It's wild how a simple move, like putting the feeder either super close to the glass or way far away, can stop almost all of those crashes. You'd think more stores would slap a warning sticker on the feeders themselves.