In April and May, Wilmette will see thousands of songbirds migrating north to breed. So many fly through or stop in our area that you can follow them on radar! These tiny visitors will rest and eat insects in our yards to fuel up, and if you’re lucky, you might spot them in their bright, breeding colors.
But migrating birds need our help. According to the American Bird Conservancy, up to 1 billion birds die after hitting windows in the US each year and almost 50% of these are related to residential windows. In daylight, birds hit windows because they see reflections of vegetation or see indoor plants through the glass. At night, nocturnal migrants (including most songbirds) crash because they fly into lighted windows.
Addressing collisions at your home makes a huge difference for birds. At night you can turn off lights or close shades or drapes. There are also many deterrents you can easily put on the outsides of your windows to keep birds from hitting them. You can, for example, apply patterns, films, or decals. Check out the American Bird Conservancy’s website for solutions and details here: https://abcbirds.org/
Of the many solutions available, one efficient and easy solution is to apply UV reflective decals to outside window surfaces, ideally spaced approximately 2″ apart. You can find these along with placement recommendations in the link above.
