A Block of Ideas
I think there’s something incredibly helpless and sad to see a small bird fly directly into a window. At my house, I jokingly refer to it as “the glass house in the woods” and I do my part to help create warnings for birds to avoid flying into the windows. Many of our feathered friends (especially on bright, sunny days) fail to see their reflection (or any reflection) in the windows, and fly directly into them thinking it’s just clear air. Thankfully, most birds do recover, but I’ve come across a dead bird once in a while that just flew a bit too hard into a window.
I’ve been researching silhouette deflectors to put on the windows. These stickers adhere easily and are designed to warn birds. But many of the deflectors are, frankly, ugly. So, on a business trip in NYC recently, I was happy to see these more decorative ones in the window of a store and thought it would be fun to make these for my own house. I’ll keep you posted.
Another fun idea was this dressed up burlap tablecloth at Anthropologie. I’ve been poking my head into Anthropologie stores in anticipation of the Wholearth Beauty launch on Earth Day. I’m so excited. But as I scoped out the store, I saw this simple DIY idea that takes no time for dramatic results. I have rolls of burlap here at the house used for prop decorating for TV segments, so I thought I would repurpose one into a runner and then just poke wild grass and wheat into the burlap to create this festive, harvest look. It really is simple.
And finally, how fun is this doormat? It’s natural coir, which is green because it’s renewable and good for a doormat since it does stand up to wear and tear. I don’t have a doormat at my house and it’s about time I get one. With Spring muddy weather here, I need to give myself and others a chance to scrub the bottom of their shoes clean a bit before walking into the house. This silhouette shape was fun, but pricey (about $95), so I’m going to Ikea right this second to buy an inexpensive coir square mat and will cut it out into the shape of my choice for about $5. What I need to figure out is how to make the edges not fray. Maybe I’ll start with the wheat burlap tablecloth first…I need some kind of instant gratification before I start anything else!
I saw you on the news here in NY last night!
You can singe and then wax the ends to prevent fraying. Or maybe just bind them with a bit of fabric and a hot glue gun. And I saw you on the news in New York this morning. Very nice segment.
I worked for the Massachusetts Audubon Society for years…
That dull thud of a bird hitting the glass is one of the worst sounds I’ve ever heard. My heart drops.
What needs to happen to keep birds from flying into the windows is to put the silhouettes on the OUTSIDE of the glass. (This is not a guaranteed solution, unfortunately.)
What is happening is that the birds DO see a reflection, of trees or buildings. They then fly into the spaces between the buildings or gaps in the trees. If there was no reflection they would be seeing into ones windows and would not likely choose to fly there. If the silhouettes are put on the INSIDE of the windows they are often rendered invisible on the outside by the reflections.
If you have screens, putting them on the outside of the window can help, not by cutting the refection but by cushioning the impact. Move feeders father away from the windows or away from windows all together.
Keep up the great work and thanks for all the wonderful information!
Those are brilliant idea from brilliant guy like you.You inspired me a lot by your post.
-Ashley
Your enthusiasm and excitement is contagious! Please share the results of your projects. Would live to see how they turned out!
I get birds flying into my windows all the time! I would love to here what you come up with. As soon as the weather started to warm up I heard the noise and saw the little dusty outline of a bird on my window and all I could think was “Ahh, spring” Poor birds!