Each year, over 100,000 migrating birds collide with windows. Birds see the reflection of the sky in the glass, and don’t know they should avoid it. Many of these birds don’t survive. So what can we do about it?

To help better understand bird collisions, Global Bird Rescue has announced a weeklong event from September 22nd to 28th. This is a citizen science event that anyone can participate in to help contribute to research on bird collisions, rescue birds, and inspire change. You can see more details about how to get involved on their website, but the basic idea is to make time throughout the week to look around your buildings for any birds that may have collided with the windows. Some tips include:

• Looking around large windows – while any window can be a collision site, large windows are most likely.
• Spaces near lots of trees are likely to attract birds.
• Predators often feed on dead or injured birds, so look for indirect signs like clumps of feathers on the group or a feather smear on the window itself. 

One thing everyone can do is ensure that the windows in your home are not reflecting a giant, uninterrupted sky. This doesn’t have to interrupt your view, though! Even placing one decal in a large picture window will help reduce the number of birds that may collide with that window. Particularly if the decal is of a predatory bird or other animal that smaller songbirds may want to avoid! If you don’t like that idea, and you have a bit of a creative or crafty streak, you can use colored tissue paper to make a design in the window. These range from large polka dots to stained-glass- style patterns – you can see plenty of inspiration on Pinterest!

Edit: Window decals may not be the most effective tool to reduce bird collisions. Consider one of these options from the American Bird Conservancy instead.

Another important consideration is nighttime lighting. Most species of songbird migrate at night, not during the day, and can quickly become disoriented by lights. But one very simple change to help these birds avoid your windows is to add blinds or curtains, and keep them closed in the evening while you have lights on. This will help reduce light pollution in general, which helps preserve the night sky as well!

These are just a few options for helping birds survive their fall and spring migrations. We encourage you to look into these and other ways to support your local native bird populations!