Why are birds important?
Birds pollinate plants, distribute seeds, and control pest populations – not to mention all the people that enjoy their beauty and song. As you restore your ravine property and incorporate more native plants into your landscape, you will attract more wildlife, including birds. Birds of prey are also worth attracting as they keep local mice populations under control.
What is the problem?
Many birds face threats in our urban landscape, such as injury and death when they collide into windows.
How can you make your property bird safe?
Make your windows more visible
Start by figuring out which of you windows poses the greatest threat to birds, and treat it first.
Unsure which windows to start with? Use this quick survey to identify which of your windows present the greatest threat to birds [https://birdsafe.ca/homeowner-self-assessment/]
To prevent birds from colliding into your windows, cover the outside of your windows with a contrasting pattern of any shape:
- You can use tape, ribbons, string, window films, or decals.
- Visual markers should not leave a gap of more than 5 cm by 5 cm.
If you replace your windows, consider choosing bird-safe glass with built-in window markings.
Learn more about how to make your windows bird safe with FLAP Canada
Keep your cat indoors or in protected outdoor enclosures
Learn more about how cats create hazard for wildlife, and options for outdoor cat enclosures.
Turn off or remove indoor and outdoor lights when they are not needed
This is especially important during migration seasons (typically mid-March to June and early August to mid-November).
Move houseplants away from your windows
Birds are attracted to houseplants and fly towards them.
Footnotes
Information on this page adapted from:
- BirdSafe. (2017). Retrieved from: https://birdsafe.ca/
- Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). (2021). Retrieved from: https://flap.org/