Window bird feeders are a great option for many people seeking an increase in their connection with nature. You can place them in any window, and they are very simple to install, use and clean. However, you should consider a few things if you are thinking about having one of these devices.
In this article, I will present five things you should know before using a window bird feeder.
Many studies analyze the best place to position your feeder to attract more birds and prevent any fatalities like window crashing.
According to a study presented by the Illinois State Academy of Science, when birds have the choice, they will be more likely to go to feeders positioned closer to tree covers. This means that if you have trees near your window, it is best to place the feeder closer to them to attract a higher number of these animals.
Another study claims that bird-glass collisions increase as the distance between bird feeders and the glass surface of your window increases. In this same experiment, they noticed that no fatalities occurred when feeders located within 1m of a window. This amount increased significantly when feeders were placed 5m and 10m from the glass. This is because of the reduced flight speed and higher window awareness that the birds have when they are closer than rather far away from the windows.
Remember, it is always best to place the feeder closer to the window to reduce the risk of bird-window collisions!
To install your window bird feeder correctly, you need to make sure the window is clean and dry.
You will notice the bird feeder comes with suckers. The best thing to do is soak them in warm water before placing them in your window. This will make them pliable and more flexible.
Last but not least, make sure your bird feeder attached to window for a few hours before filling it with food. And that’s it. You can now go to the store and grab all the seeds you want for your new friends!
Another concern when using a window bird feeder may be whether birds will approach your house or not. This takes a while until the animals make sure the food in your feeder is safe. However, there are some things you can do to attract them in a shorter amount of time.
Filling your feeder with bright colour seeds may give them the sign of ripened fruit, safe to eat for them. So you can add a variety of grains and colours to your tray rather than just one type. When you change the types of seeds you put in the feeder, you will notice different birds’ approaches!
Since this is a severe issue (we want to take care of birds, not attracting them into crashing our windows), many studies analyze how we can prevent these bird-window collisions.
These collisions occur because birds don’t notice the glass surface, so they continue flying and end up colliding. So what we need to do is make our windows noticeable for them! You can either cover the glass with UV-reflective paint or place some tape or paint patterns in it. This will make it visible, decreasing the odds of the animals being unintentionally killed by colliding with your window.
One of the main concerns about using a window bird feeder is the risk associated with diseases transmission. However, this risk can be highly reduced by just keeping your feeder regularly clean. According to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, you should clean your feeder at least once a month. This is a very easy thing to do and it is very important to do it because the effects of these diseases may not have a visible effect for us, while they may be very harmful for your community’s birds.