Make your home bird-friendly
Did you know that ~44% of all bird-building collisions occur at residences*? You can make your home significantly safer for birds by taking a few simple steps such as reducing your nighttime lighting, treating reflective glass, planting native vegetation, and thinking about the placement of shrubs and bird feeders around windows.
If you are interested in making your home more bird friendly, sign up below for our Certified Home Program and receive information to help you live with wildlife.
*statistic from:
Loss, S. R., T. Will, S. S. Loss, and P. P. Marra. 2014. Bird–building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor 116:8-23. https://doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-13-090.1
Reducing reflective surfaces is one of the easiest and most important things you can do as a homeowner. There are a variety of products available, such as ABC BirdTape, Feather Friendly DIY tape (pictured above, left), or Acopian BirdSavers that are inexpensive and highly effective. Or, you can make your own Bird Savers with parachute cord, or use tempera paint to temporarily cover your windows with a decorative pattern.
You can also make your homes better for birds by replacing manicured lawn and non-native ornamentals with native plants and shrubs. Any glass windows in areas with attractive vegetation should be treated though, as to avoid inadvertently turning your yard into an ecological trap