Meditations on a crazy bird

[Formerly SK]

We are entering the fourth day of a bird trying to break into my bedroom window.  There is a tree right outside (2nd story window) and he rests on a branch, then tries to fly into the window, then rests on a branch, then flies into the window, rinse, repeat, again and again.  For four days now.  My cats have had a field day trying to get at him from the inside of the glass.

DH says I should dip the cats' claws in windex and them have them wash the windows as they bat at the bird, and then film it and have the video go viral. 

I'm wondering if there is such a thing as birdy dementia.  

[thyme4change]

Maybe his girlfriend left him and he is trying to commit suicide.

[Tennesseer]

Mar 21, 2013 11:15:36 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

We are entering the fourth day of a bird trying to break into my bedroom window.  There is a tree right outside (2nd story window) and he rests on a branch, then tries to fly into the window, then rests on a branch, then flies into the window, rinse, repeat, again and again.  For four days now.  My cats have had a field day trying to get at him from the inside of the glass.

DH says I should dip the cats' claws in windex and them have them wash the windows as they bat at the bird, and then film it and have the video go viral. 

I'm wondering if there is such a thing as birdy dementia.  

It's mating season. He sees his reflection as being a competitor for a mate.

[mmhmm]

I've got cardinals doing the same thing at my dining room window.  I've got silk plants inside that big window and a large holly bush/tree just beyond it.  I think the cardinals think the silk plants are an extension of their new home. *groan*  I guess I'll have to move the plants ... again.

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 21, 2013 11:30:49 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 21, 2013 11:15:36 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

We are entering the fourth day of a bird trying to break into my bedroom window.  There is a tree right outside (2nd story window) and he rests on a branch, then tries to fly into the window, then rests on a branch, then flies into the window, rinse, repeat, again and again.  For four days now.  My cats have had a field day trying to get at him from the inside of the glass.

DH says I should dip the cats' claws in windex and them have them wash the windows as they bat at the bird, and then film it and have the video go viral. 

I'm wondering if there is such a thing as birdy dementia.  

It's mating season. He sees his reflection as being a competitor for a mate.

The expression isn't "bird-brained" for nothing.

[Deleted]

There is nothing better than watching an animal slowly beat itself to death.

[Deleted]

Mar 21, 2013 12:01:14 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Mar 21, 2013 11:30:49 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

It's mating season. He sees his reflection as being a competitor for a mate.

The expression isn't "bird-brained" for nothing.

[Virgil Showlion]

Mar 21, 2013 12:03:17 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

There is nothing better than watching an animal slowly beat itself to death.

It's all but impossible to get them to stop, too.

We dealt with a number of bash birds over the years when I lived in western Canada. You can try soaping the windows (i.e. leaving a film on them so that they appear cloudy), chasing the bird away, putting a bright light behind the window, but we never had any success.

With squirrels you can buy ultrasonic emitters that drive them away, but I don't believe there's any equivalent for birds.

[spartan7886]

We looked at buying this type of stickers www.duncraft.com/index/page/category/category_id/227/category_chain/227/name/Window+Strike+Solutions/, but never bothered. The frequency went down significantly after we cut down the tree that was reflecting in the windows. That's not why we cut it down, but it was a happy side effect. At least the poor guy isn't getting up to speed. Most of our managed to fly away, but we've had two dead wrens and an apparently concussed dove that we've found on the ground.

[dannylion]

Yes, the bird sees its reflection and thinks it is a rival.  As long as the bird can see its reflection in the window, it will continue to fly into the window.  Birds don't understand glass or other materials with reflective qualities, and they don't understand reflections.  Moving plants won't work; they likely cannot see them.  They're attracted by their reflection in the glass.  The only thing that will stop the carnage that will surely happen is to defeat the reflective qualities of the glass during mating season.