Do you see Dots, or Not?

Thursday, November 10, 2022

 

You may have noticed a bit of a change to our nature center windows lately!

•  We have been adding bird deterrent decals to the outside surface of our windows.
• These permanent tiny dots help birds see our windows and veer away!
• The second phase of the project included the high windows around the public restrooms.
• The first phase included the classroom windows.
• Eventually we will have almost all of our windows covered in dots!

Why are we doing this?

• The windows on any building tend to reflect the outdoor scenery, making birds think they can fly right through them.
• The small dots are spaced 2 inches apart and break up the reflected image alerting birds to a more solid object.
• The dots tend to "disappear" when we view them, unless they are in direct sunlight, shown in the photo above.
• We hardly even notice them but the birds do!

You can help protect our feathered friends at home as well!
If you put up bird feeders around your house, place them within 3 feet of your windows or a minimum of 10 feet away. (I prefer to place mine 30 feet away).

Why? When startled, birds tend to scatter, quickly. Placing feeders within 3 feet of a window keeps them from building up flying speed in case they accidently fly into a window. Placing feeders further away helps to give them more time to steer away from any windows.

Vinyl decals are also available to attach to the outside of your windows. The shape is not crucial, any pattern will break up the reflected image.

To learn more about best practices for feeding birds and keeping them safe visit Project FeederWatch.