Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE
Sometimes when people
are faced with a bothersome situation, they turn it into a
goodthing.IhadafriendwhowasdismayedwhenaGreatBlueHeronstartedfeedingin
herpond,butshelaterdecidedthatthebeautifulheronenhancedheryardevenmorethan
the fish. Another friend invented complicated strategies for keeping squirrels out of his
feeders, but none worked. He finally switched to devising feeders to challenge squirrels,
rather than to exclude them. He got to know the individual squirrels in his yard, and now
finds them as entertaining to watch as the birds.
When waxwings, robins, and other birds started devouring the fruit on my husband's
beloved cherry trees, he quickly noticed that the birds concentrated in the top branches.
He decided that it was much easier to pick the lower branches anyway. No need to pull
out the ladder anymore, he has company while he picks, and we still freeze enough cher-
ries to last until the next year.
HOW
TO
PREVENT
BIRDS
FROM
COLLIDING
WITH
WINDOWS
Of all the troubling issues facing birds in our backyards, windows are one of the most
devastating. Current estimates are that every year, worldwide, billions of birds are killed
in collisions with window glass. Some crash into lighted windows on tall buildings at
nighttime during migration, but a great many collide with windows on our own houses.
What can we do to reduce the kill?
There are two different strategies for protecting birds from glass: to make the glass
more visible to avoid collisions in the first place, and to make collisions less lethal by
placing screening in front of glass.
To make glass more visible, you can try window coverings that are opaque from the
outside but provide a good view from the inside. Decals placed on the outer glass are
also effective, as long as they're placed very close together, separated by only 2-4 inches
(5-10cm).Streamers,sun-catchers,orotherdecorativeobjectsonlyworkifthey,too,are
placed close enough together and on the outside.
The problem with either of these is that if you set out enough of them to be effective,
you can obstruct your own view. Some new decals appear almost clear to our eyes, but
because they are visible in the ultraviolet range, birds can easily see them. Again, these
must be closely spaced on the outside of the glass to be effective.
