Make your own bird saver to prevent birds from hitting window

By Guest Blogger: Ann Morrow

Ann and Don installed this homemade bird saver made of parachute cord to prevent birds from hitting their window.

During these challenging COVID-19 times, many of us are spending more time in our homes and yards.

It is no wonder that interest in home-based activities such as bird watching and gardening has soared in the last six months. Even veteran birders and gardeners have honed their skills, expanded their species yard lists, and enjoyed new sights and sounds in backyard habitats.

In our third-acre suburban lot, my husband and I are more acutely aware of the subtle progression of seasons simply by being at home continuously through spring and summer. We have watched plants bloom and set fruit. We have noted bird migration and watched resident birds find mates, build nests, and raise young.

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We have also noted a few less-desirable sightings: frequent patrols by free-roaming cats and, the focus of this article, window/bird collisions.

We do not think the collisions are common at our house, but the unmistakable thud as a bird strikes a window is deeply disturbing whenever it happens. Last year a Swainson’s thrush, a species seen solely during migration in North Florida, died after hitting our large living room window. We think of our yard as a safe spot for migrants to rest and refuel, so it was indeed a sad day.

Other victims include cardinals, titmice, and Carolina wrens. The most recent strike was a red-bellied woodpecker. It hit the window and landed upside down in a large planter. It flew off after 20 minutes and we hope it did not later die from internal injuries, a common outcome after window strikes.

Donna Legare and Jody Walthall were inspired by Ann’s success and made a bird saver for their large bird window.

Estimates vary, but it is safe to say that hundreds of millions of birds die each year from window collisions in the United States. The good news is that researchers have devised several simple and inexpensive solutions. We applied bird stickers designed as collision deterrents on one of our smaller windows. For the large living room window, we opted for the Acopian Birdsavers (www.birdsavers.com).

Designed by a family of engineer/naturalists in Pennsylvania, Birdsavers consist of a curtain of vertical strands of paracord (one-eighth-inch diameter parachute cord), spaced about four inches apart and hung on the outside of windows.

The cords break up reflections of vegetation and sky so that birds perceive the window as a solid object to avoid. Because many people find the Birdsavers products to be aesthetically pleasing, they are also called Zen wind curtains. They are used in a variety of commercial and residential settings.

You can order custom Birdsavers or buy the inexpensive materials and follow excellent do-it-yourself instructions provided by their company. We made our own for our large front window (approx. eight feet wide and four feet high).

We spent about $12 on materials: 100 feet of olive drab paracord ordered online (Made in the USA) and a 10-foot section of vinyl J-channel (optional) from Home Depot.

We are pleased with the result and will test its effectiveness over the coming months. This simple fix is a good addition to our other yard management practices: avoiding the use of pesticides, providing a source of clean water, and planting a diversity of native plants for food and cover.

We hope we can give birds and other wildlife a fighting chance in our small slice of habitat.

Bird Feeding Basics

Staying home to be safe from a virus? A wonderful way to while away some hours is to watch colorful songbirds and their antics at a bird feeder. The following is a discussion of bird feeders and bird seed and how to attract the widest variety of birds with the least waste of seed.

Birds that may visit your yard are generally grouped as ground feeders or tree feeders. Common ground feeders are mourning dove, brown thrasher, and chipping sparrows and all prefer to eat white proso millet, with a few exceptions. This can be spread on a platform type feeder or even on the patio.

Goldfinches and cardinals love a blend of black oil sunflower, sunflower hearts, and safflower dispensed in a squirrel-proofed tube feeder. Photo by Jody Walthall.

Pine siskins visiting a nyjer seed sock in winter. Photo by Jody Walthall.

Tree feeding birds such as Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, cardinal, blue jay, downy woodpecker, and red-bellied woodpecker prefer sunflower seed. A mixture of 80 percent black oil sunflower and 20 percent white millet would be the most economical way to attract a variety of birds. Remember, the millet must be white proso. Birds will not eat red millet, milo, or wheat, which are often used as cheap fillers in inexpensive bird food. These seeds will go to waste, thrown out of your feeder by birds, your money rotting on the ground.

To go a step beyond the basic seed, there are a few other types of food birds will enjoy. I offer these other foods in varying methods. For instance, a premium mix of black oil sunflower, safflower, and sunflower hearts is placed in a vertical tube feeder on a squirrel and raccoon proofed pole. It is easily accessed by chickadees, titmice, white-breasted nuthatch, and woodpeckers. Below the tube is a large tray where cardinals, mourning dove, blue jays, and brown thrashers feel more comfortable. For these birds, split peanuts, white proso millet, and sunflower hearts are offered. In my yard, titmice and blue jays select split peanuts above all else. We are always pleased when a summer tanager or a Baltimore oriole flies in to grab a peanut.

Also, on the tray or in a small cage under it mounted to the pole, a piece of suet cake is placed. Suet cakes are favored by birds that eat insects. Suet cakes primarily consist of beef fat mixed with corn meal, though some may also contain bird seed. More birds will utilize suet cakes in winter when insects are less abundant. At my feeder, the suet is used by bluebirds, Carolina wrens, and four species of warblers: pine, orange-crowned, yellow-rumped, and yellow-throated. The bluebirds and all four warblers only use suet in winter, so I supply it sparingly in summer. Interestingly, the orange-crowned and yellow-rumped spend their summers far to the north between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay.

Another specialty seed, nyjer, was formerly sold as thistle seed. It is a type of tiny sunflower seed, not a seed from thistle plants. Goldfinch, who are winter migrants, may be seen at feeders from January to April and enjoy nyjer seed. Nyjer is imported from India or Africa and may be expensive and requires a special feeder or thistle sock to dispense. Goldfinch will be happy to be fed American grown sunflower hearts or black oil sunflower in an ordinary feeder. Goldfinch and pine siskins can often come in large numbers and may overrun your sunflower feeder. They can be drawn away to a thistle sock to make room for the other birds at the tube feeder.

Bird food will attract squirrels and sometimes raccoons. Raccoons usually visit at night and are known to carry feeders away. Investing in a quality squirrel/raccoon baffle will save lots of money in the long run. Squirrels will still get plenty of food that is dropped by birds as they are feeding. It is best to not feed raccoons.

If you are unable to protect your feeder, try using only safflower seed. Most squirrels will not eat it, yet chickadees, titmice, and cardinals will.

If you decide to feed birds, you have a responsibility to keep the feeders clean and the seed fresh. You will need to clean feeders regularly during rainy spells. Be sure to purchase feeders that are easy to clean. We use hot soapy water to wash, then rinse with a mild water/bleach solution and then rinse again with water. We opt to have just one main feeder/tray set-up. The more feeders, the more time spent cleaning.

This feeder has it all: a tube feeder for sunflower blends, trays for a variety of specialty seeds and peanuts, a suet feeder, and a raccoon/squirrel guard. Photo by Jody Walthall.

Do not forget that birds also need water. Provide clean water in a bird bath. Flush water out every three days to keep it clean and to eliminate mosquito larvae and disease organisms. The bowl should have gradually sloping sides and not be too deep. Birds enjoy splashing in shallow pools. Yesterday we had at least 15 robins vying for a spot in the bath. A large flock had descended into a holly tree to feast on its abundant berries and the birds quenched their thirst and bathed in our two bird baths.

If you have neighborhood cats, place feeders and baths high and in a relatively open area. Cats kill millions of songbirds every year, as well as other wildlife. Perhaps you can talk to your neighbors and encourage them to keep the cats indoors, where they will be safe from cars and coyotes.

Watching birds from the comfort of your home is a great way to get away from the television or computer. Birds are beautiful and their interactions with each other are fascinating. Try locating the feeder close to your window yet far enough away to prevent squirrels from leaping to it from the windowsill.

You will begin to observe seasonal changes at your feeder. Winter brings migrants from the far north. In North Florida and South Georgia feeders commonly attract a dozen species all year. In winter, five northern migrants may visit your feeder. Many more birds will use a bird bath. Pick a good viewing window, set up your feeding station, settle into a comfy chair with tea or coffee, and enjoy!

Woodland Wildflowers for Native Pollinators

The sweet smell of rue anemone may help attract pollinators, such as queen bumble bees emerging from hibernation. Photo by Elizabeth Georges.

The delicate blossoms of woodland wildflowers are often the first splashes of color after our mild winters in Tallahassee. Woodland wildflowers, some known as spring ephemerals, thrive on the floor of rich, undisturbed woodlands and are a welcome sight for early-emerging pollinators at a time when nectar and pollen sources are scarce.

Woodland wildflowers are a welcome sight for early-emerging pollinators at a time when nectar and pollen sources are scarce. Photo by Elizabeth Georges.

These plants have a small window of sunshine between frost and leaf-out to emerge, flower, become pollinated, and produce seed. Once trees develop leaves and shade the ground for the remainder of the season, ephemerals will go to seed and fade into the background until the following year.

We don’t often associate woodland plants with pollinators because they flower in the shade where their pollinators go unnoticed. Pollination among most deciduous forests is primarily accomplished by the insect orders Hymenoptera (native bees and solitary wasps), Coleoptera (beetles), and Diptera (syrphid flies). Woodland wildflowers compete for these pollinators by offering nectar and pollen rewards using various shapes, colors, smells, and staggering bloom times.

Some spring ephemerals have a musty scent, such as trillium, that attract beetles and flies for pollination. Photo by Elizabeth Georges.

Some flowers shift towards the sun to attract bees and butterflies, while others orient their flowers near the ground to allure less gregarious insects, like beetles, ants, flies, or tiny ground-nesting bees. Some plants take this evolution strategy further by producing foliage that shelters their own flowers from the sun of the increasingly longer days of springtime. Perhaps they also do this to provide a protective area for pollinators to safely scout out their flowers.

Smell may also play a role in attracting pollinators. Many of the plant species that are pollinated by bees have a sweet odor such as phlox, rue anemone, and wild violets. These plants are important sources of food for hungry queen bumble bees as they emerge after a long hibernation through the winter. Other spring ephemerals have a musty scent like jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, and trillium that attract a different group of pollinators like beetles and flies.

Every February into March, I am swept off my feet by the graceful multiplying appearance of delicate wildflowers occurring throughout the woodland beds at Native Nurseries. Masses of bright violet-blue phlox, yellow trout lilies, mysterious trillium, bursts of columbine, and the subtle glows of rue anemone and bloodroot have re-seeded and established themselves over the years.

Bursts of colombine blossoms appear in late winter and early spring in the woodland beds at Native Nurseries. Photo by Elizabeth Georges.

Not only do woodland wildflowers add a beautiful burst of early-season color to your yard, they provide critical early nectar for our native pollinators. Even if you have a shady, wooded landscape, you can still help pollinators by selecting plants that flower at different times and attract a diversity of species throughout the growing season. Many insects will be happy to find them blooming in your garden.