I was rummaging in the garage, when I heard a knock on the window. It sounded like a bird had flown into the glass, as sometimes happens around here.
Usually, the bird is stunned and quickly recovers. Sometimes, the crash is fatal.
But then, I heard it again. And again. And again.
Was it my presence in the garage that was causing this bird such distress?
We live in a wooded community within a couple of miles of a national park, as well as a large metropolitan park. This brings wildlife to our front door, literally. We are visited by white-tailed deer, foxes, coyote, wild turkeys, horned owls, minks — you get the idea.
We’ve become accustomed to sharing our home and garden, sometimes grudgingly. I reasoned that once I was out of sight, the bird would stop attacking the window and get back to its regular bird business.
Wrong. I went inside to read, and continued to hear the thumps. I put on my rain boots and made a quick lap around the yard. That’s when I saw the robin in the climbing hydrangea, right next to the garage window. This was the persistent attacker.
I wondered if the robin would stop, or hurt itself. I wondered if there was something that I could do to stop the attack. So, I did what we all do when we wonder. I “googled” it.
The Massachusetts Audubon society, MassAudubon, maintains an informative website worth checking out.
It was easy for me to quickly find out about the robin’s behavior and what I could (or couldn’t) do to change it.
According to the article I read, robins and many other suburban-dwelling birds repeatedly fly into windows because they interpret their reflections as other birds invading their territory. The article advises that the attacking birds generally do not sustain injuries.
The author recommends tolerating the behavior, as it will cease once the nesting period ends. If the sound is disturbing to the homeowners, the window can be covered on the outside with a non-reflective material. Then, of course, you are obstructing your view and/or light.
And so, I’ve decided to live with my territorial, feathered friend. Maybe we have something in common.
? – Jo
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Ha ha, I love that!
I guess the expression “bird brain ” is accurate!!
We have a bird called a peewee that does this kind of thing: it nearly drives us crazy and is impossible to stop if it decides it likes one of your windows.