| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| gramadinah |
Posted - Apr 08 2013 : 07:04:10 AM
For 3 days now I have a Robin that is trying to fly through the house, she knows that the window is there and gently fly's to it and then back to the tree. I have heard that some where in there past a grandparent built a nest in a tree that was where the house is and they have come back to nest in it. Anybody else have this happen.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 9:21:15 PM
We put black decals of birds in flight on the insides of windows that we noticed were attracting repeated bird strikes when we first moved into our farmhouse 18 years ago. Haven't had a single strike since. I bought them at a garden supply shop that closed many years ago, but you could probably find them online. (Here's one source I found without much effort: http://www.songbirdgarden.com/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=4588) |
| Cindy Lou |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 2:02:24 PM
Interesting situation and great info.
Susan
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Mary Oliver |
| KatyDid |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 1:56:58 PM
You're welcome, Marly!
And Diana, I'm not sure, then! I have heard that American Robins have an average lifespan of about 6 years, but have been known to live up to 14 years. They can raise three new broods a year. So by the time any one robin hatches, it would have grandparents many times over! There is a lot we don't know about birds - they are able to navigate and migrate each year by using an electromagnetic sensing ability (tying in to the Earth's poles). And I am sure they probably have other sensing abilities that we have not discovered yet. But I really don't know about whether a bird would return to a place based on something that its relatives may have visited many years ago. I have read that when some birds migrate for the first time, they just know exactly how to get to another country, even without following other birds' example! They're just amazing animals. So it is certainly possible that there is some kind of ingrained "bird knowledge" that this bird is trying to pursue. But I would say that unless your house is brand new, like within the past few years, the robin is probably not looking for anything in particular. (She may be a little dense, or maybe just a Peeping Tom!) You could try putting out a dish of food for her to lure her away from the window - I know they like dried fruits. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a good source of information on any bird you might want to learn about: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_robin/lifehistory
Good luck - let us know if you figure anything out!
Farmgirl Sister #4527
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
- Mae West |
| gramadinah |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 11:51:59 AM
Katy that is great information but this is a female and she likes to cling on the screens it really is like she is looking for something.
We have a great many birds that hit out windows as they are directly across from each other but this robin is so gentle when she fly's up to the window that she doesn't hurt herself just a bit noisy. I have put things on the window but to no avail she still fly's to them.
I just feel sorry for her.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 10:50:16 AM
Kate: Such interesting information. Thanks.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| KatyDid |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 09:59:29 AM
Hi Diana,
I work for Droll Yankees, a bird feeder company here in CT. We often have people asking questions about bird behavior, so I thought I'd put in my two cents! Birds and windows...you may have heard of the "window strike" issue, where birds see a reflection in a window and think it is the sky, and so they accidentally fly into/hit the window (this obviously puts them at risk of injury or death). This is also a problem when windows are at right angles to each other, or when another window is visible on the opposite side and they think there is a "fly-through" area.
But because this particular bird is stopping in front of the window, it sounds like he/she knows it is there. It is nesting season now, so my guess is that it is a male bird, that sees his reflection and thinks it is another male bird that he needs to defend his territory against. They get very cranky when finding mates and so they try to chase others away! To see if this is the case, you could try either pulling down the blinds/drawing the curtains, mark an "x" on the window with a bar of soap (which would of course need to be reapplied as it wears off), or you can purchase window decals that are designed to warn birds away from the window. Droll Yankees sells a product called "Warning Web" which looks like a spiderweb. The birds see the stabilimentum (zig-zag pattern) in the middle of the web and know to stay away from it. Lastly, I know birds are also afraid of anything that is too flashy or swingy, so you could try hanging something sparkly and decorative there to show the bird that it is a window and not another bird. (People often hang aluminum pie pans on long pieces of string and tie them to the sides of their houses to scare away woodpeckers that are tapping for bugs in the shingles.)
Hope this helps!
Farmgirl Sister #4527
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
- Mae West |
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