Birds and window strikes

Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia

I was working in my home office last week when I heard a sudden bang on the glass about a metre from where I sat. I immediately grabbed the camera and headed out into the garden. There on the garden bed was a little Silvereye, obviously quite stunned but alive. I was able to take a series of close up photos while it recovered. Within a few minutes it had flown off again.

Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia

Window strikes by birds is a constant problem around the world. Home windows, office blocks and anywhere glass is used in buildings create a potential hazard for flying birds. At certain times of the day or light conditions the reflections of the surrounding area – sky, garden, forest – give flying birds the false impression that they can fly straight ahead.

In reality, they fly straight into the glass which is acting like a huge mirror. I have read about various techniques for preventing bird strikes on windows but haven’t yet come across a foolproof way of preventing it.

Luckily for this little fellow, he survived.

Many don’t.

Further reading:

• Bird strikes on Windows

Click on any image to enlarge the photo.

Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia

Silvereye, Murray Bridge, South Australia