Ahh, adventures in Grandma Level Cleaning.
The last time I cleaned the outside and inside of the house windows, I spent all day working on it, and was really proud of my effort… until the sun shone through the windows the next day and I saw streaks. Everywhere. WAH.
So this time, I googled how to prevent that, and the tips on this site worked great – I used their 1:1 hot water to vinegar ratio, and wiped the squeegee after each use (duh, Kim, why didn’t you think of that before?). I also made sure to adjust the squeegee handle length depending on clearance around the bottom of the windows (so I could pull it all the way down continuously and not hit anything). I spent a long time working on it, and again, was proud of my efforts.
Until yesterday.
I was working in the office when I heard a loud thud and immediately knew what it was. Khali ran from the office toward the noise.
Snow rushed out of his house to see what was up.
Data used this opportunity to finish Khali’s breakfast (that’s not different from any other day though, ha).
Yep, a bird hit the window.
This actually happened several times last week, before I cleaned the windows, but this was the first time the bird stunned itself and I saw where it landed. And how convenient that it landed on Snow’s porch. Not.
I immediately took Snow inside, then made a little box for the bird to recuperate in. I read that after they hit a window, they need a safe, dark, warm space to chillax and let their heart rate come down.
So I put the bird in the box, let Snow back outside, and put the box in the bathroom and closed the door. After an hour, I took the box outside and opened the lid. The bird was breathing, but didn’t fly away.
I was trying to be calm, but I was worried the bird was seriously hurt (broken wing?) and I was going to have to find a way to put him out of his misery. Then spend the rest of the day crying in bed.
Luckily it didn’t come to that. Another hour later, I took him back out, opened the lid again, and lifted the towel he was on a bit, and off he went! Phew!
I was so relieved!
I’m hoping this doesn’t happen again, but it probably will since our windows are so damn clean. My snister was telling me about stickers you could put on your windows so the birds can see them better, but… I don’t want stickers on my windows. I’ll have to look in to another solution.
They make decorative window clings that you can put on your windows. I have seen them at Home Depot or Menard’s. Lots of different patterns/pictures.
I’ll have to see if there are any we care for! I don’t really want things hanging on the windows, but also doubt we’ll put a film up.
It seems like certain times of the year we have birds fly into our windows and I can tell you that they aren’t particularly clean – maybe it’s the way the sun hits the windows, or maybe there’s come wacky berry that the birds eat and they get bird drunk and can’t fly straight? All I know is that sound is LOUD and gives me the same sinking feeling as you…and how convenient for a cat-snack, right?
Glad you were home and able to save the little birdie. I laughed at all that the cats did, because cats.
Yeah, they definitely don’t have to be clean – well, just clean enough to show a reflection of the wildlife or themselves! It’s such a horrible noise and feeling!!!! And it does seem like it’s happening more right now, which is odd. I hope it stops soon for both of us!
Omg the cats were so ridic lol.
An ovenbird! Very cool! Well, not cool that it ran into your window and got stunned. But cool that you have them around you! I’m very glad he/she recovered and was able to fly away. I’m still traumatized from when I had to deal with a stunned yellow-bellied sapsucker in May – it was SO upsetting! I hate seeing injured birdies 🙁 This is a really good resource about bird/window collisions: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/ The Cornell Lab is like THE birding resource, so that’s all solid information, and it has lots of tips to help prevent collisions!
Yeah! We were looking up what kind of bird he is today. I hope he recovered… I kind of wish I hadn’t read this on that site “Sadly, the bird often dies, even when it is only temporarily stunned and manages to fly away. Many times these birds die later from internal bleeding or bruising, especially on the brain.” Ugh, the truth stings. There was some different good ideas on there though, so thanks for sharing 🙂
What happened with your guy in May?
I *think* he ended up okay. I was on my way to therapy when it happened, and I called the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors when it happened. I was at therapy when they got there, but they didn’t see him anywhere, so I assume he flew away (since I don’t think he was as vulnerable to predators in my neighborhood in the city as your ovenbird would’ve been at your home.) I blogged about the whole incident (https://accidentalintentions.com/2017/05/04/thursday-things-199/) if you want all the details. It was quite the affair!
Oh wow! I can’t believe he latched on to your purse! How great that you had that number to call, and I hope that they couldn’t find him means he recuperated and flew off. Man, I’d be freaking out like you too. I was trying hard not to when this happened!
That’s a really cute bird. Any idea what kind it is?
It’s an ovenbird 🙂
I just looked them up and they aren’t common in our state even in breeding season. Lucky find!
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/ovenbird
He must be visiting from WI!
I’m glad he was ok and able to fly off! That sounds stressful. You must have been moving pretty quickly to get him scooped up before Snow investigated more.
Me too! I got up right away… as did Snow. LOL. Luckily he cooperated when I brought him inside!
Oh no, poor little birb! (Apparently this ‘birb’ spelling is a thing?!?) I’m so glad he’s okay. That would have made me really sad too!
Ha! I have seen that in online cat culture, “birb.” Ha ha ha. I hope he’s still okay!
Guess the bird was just stunned from hitting the window. My last job, my office was surrounded by windows. We used to have birds fly into them a few times a week. Most birds didn’t survive. We would find then in the bushes below (I was on the 3rd floor). Sad to see that. Glad this bird survived.
Ugh, it is sad. I see them around my office and the offices in the city too. 🙁 I hope this guy actually did survive after he flew off!