Yesterday's weather was an absolute gift! It was clear and sunny and the temperature rose to the low 20's C. Last evening, a cold front came through with intense wind, thunder and lightning, and this morning the temperature is a more normal 2C for this time of year. This morning, we had our first flurry of snow, big white, fluffy flakes drifting down.
Yesterday's weather was forecast, so I was ready. I'd cleaned all my downstairs windows, inside and out, on Thursday, (is there anything much nicer than clean windows?) and yesterday, as the day warmed, I was out with the stepladder installing Feather Friendly dots on the windows overlooking the bird feeders.
We get a lot of enjoyment out of feeding the birds all winter and into spring, but we have heard the odd, heart-stopping 'thud' of a bird flying into the windows, especially on a day of low cloud and diffused daylight. I am determined to not have that happen ever again, so bought the Feather Friendly kit, and was waiting for the right day to install it. The temperature has to be above 10 C., and yesterday was the day.
It is a tedious process, but once I'd placed the first couple of rows, and figured out how it worked, the job went faster.
The kit comes with paper measuring tapes that you temporarily tape on each side of the window you are covering, and then stretch the tape with the dots on it across to the corresponding measurement on the opposite side. The tape is then smoothed onto the window, affixing the dots by running the provided tool (a sturdy, rounded piece of plastic the size of a credit card) back and forth a couple of times across the dots to activate the pressure-sensitive adhesive on them, then the positioning tape is peeled off, leaving the dots in place every 2 inches.
The dots are reflective on the outside, and barely noticeable from the inside. They are made by 3M and are supposed to withstand weather and cleaning for many years.
I feel so much better about starting to fill the feeders now, as hopefully the bears are all heading off to bed for the winter.
That is such a great idea! I had never heard of that before. All your little birds will be safe now :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a good idea. Researchers say over 1 Billion birds are lost annually from window collisions. Those lit up hi-rise buildings in the cities the birds are attracted to while migrating through, are responsible for so much carnage.
DeleteI've never heard of Feather Friendly, either, but have to agree it's a great idea! We've had a number of birds crash into windows over the years and it's very worrisome. That's a brilliant solution.
ReplyDeleteJust found out about it recently. Its the least I can do. The birds give us so much enjoyment.
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