Bird Strike Prevention DIY Workshop

What is one of the largest causes of bird mortality in the United States today? Bird Strikes.

Birds did not evolve with windows. Seeing a window reflection, they believe they are flying into an open air space. A sudden collision leads to concussions, neurological damage, and death in many victims.

With the ever increasing spread of housing development and thus windows across the country, the issue becomes more dire with every year. But we can do something to stop that.

In this workshop, we are going to make our very own bird strike prevention devices for our windows. Inspired by the amazing Acopian Bird Savers, we will be using paracord to create a type of “zen wind curtain” that will effectively let our local birds know they can’t fly here!

Approximate Schedule

• 11 - 11:30 | A short lecture on the prevalence of bird strikes and mitigation efforts.
• 11:30 - 12 | A demo on making a Bird Saver.
• 12 - 1 | We will create our Bird Savers together!

Julian, our Conservation Committee Chair and the lecturer of this workshop, will provide all the necessary tools and materials.

All YOU need to do is one thing beforehand. Please measure the dimensions for one window you would like to be protected and provide this information when signing up for the event. This will allow Julian to get a rough estimate of the amount of paracord needed.

The dimensions should be provided in inches.

The width should encompass the glass, and the height should also be the glass + how many inches it takes to get to where you want to attach the paracord to the window frame, ie., the flat portion above the glass.

Which window should you choose? Houses tend to have only a few windows causing a majority of the issues. Perhaps you have noticed birds bumping into a specific window. These are typically huge picture windows, windows paired together at a right angle, or windows with feeders outside. Furthermore, walk outside and look at your windows. If you see branches or the sky in or through the window, that could be a potential problem area.

We will also be bringing along fun decals to put on your windows to mitigate collisions, thanks to one of our board members, Chuck!

If you have any questions regarding any details, please send inquiries to julian@avaudubon.org

Thank you!

*Photo Credit: Ted, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons