Bird repeatedly flying into window.

[KingDavid8]

Never seen this before, but for the last several hours, there's been a robin on the tree outside of our kitchen window that keeps flying into the closed window. It seems to pull back a bit at the last moment to prevent it from getting seriously hurt, but it does strike the window, and then it goes back to the tree. I repeats this about every ten or fifteen seconds. I can chase it away by standing at the window (or putting my cat in the window), but it comes back as soon as we leave. I taped two pieces of paper to the window (so that it wouldn't see the window as clear), but the bird is still going at it. I'm about to try covering the window completely with newspaper or something. Anyone know why it's so determined?

David

[Nick Theodorakis]

It may be fighting with his reflection in the glass.

Nick

[wanderwoman]

Originally Posted by Nick Theodorakis

It may be fighting with his reflection in the glass.

Nick

That's what it sounds like to me also. You may want to cover the window on the outside, so there's no reflection.

[frogpond]

I believe Nick is right. Male cardinals will do that until they nearly kill themselves.

You might try tracing a silhouette of a hawk onto dark paper, cutting it out and taping to the window to see if that scares him off.

[glass papaya]

This website has some more suggestions on how to stop this.

[chocolate kisses]

I agree. They are territorial and this is the season of love, as well. Covering the glass or a silhouette of a hawk or owl may keep it away from the window.

P.S. the website glass papaya links to has some cool ideas.

[chillas]

It's testing your defenses. I saw this in a Hitchcock film once.

[Mochrie99]

My lord, the exact same thing has been happening at our house since last week. A robin sits perched on the sill outside one of the windows in our living room, and every few minutes flies up and smacks into the window. I have no idea why it does that, and every time I frighten it away, it returns again after several minutes.

Birds are bizarre...

[wanderwoman]

Originally Posted by Mochrie99

My lord, the exact same thing has been happening at our house since last week. A robin sits perched on the sill outside one of the windows in our living room, and every few minutes flies up and smacks into the window. I have no idea why it does that, and every time I frighten it away, it returns again after several minutes.

Birds are bizarre...

This is mating season. He thinks he's trying to chase off a rival. Take a look at Glass Papaya's link as it has some good ideas for stopping this behavior.

[Mochrie99]

I checked out the link, they have some good ideas. May try some of them.

[Troberg]

It's testing your defenses. I saw this in a Hitchcock film once.

The intro to 'Attack of the killer tomatoes' goes:

"In 1963, Alfred Hitchcock made a motion picture entitled The Birds, a film which depicted a savage attack upon human beings by flocks of winged creatures. People laughed. In the fall of 1975, 7 million black birds invaded the town of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, resisting the best efforts of mankind to dislodge them. No one is laughing now."

Be very careful. Especially around tomatoes.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

If you have a birdfeeder near the window, taping a hawk or other predator (and it doesn't even have to look much like the predator to your eyes) will chase all of the birds away from the feeder.

Seaboe

[Don Enrico]

I have had success with taping stripes of tinfoil on the window, so that they flutter in the wind (one piece of tape at the top). The reflecting light (and maybe the sound?) scares away the birds.

Don Enrico

[keepyourkiltdown]

I used to work for a woman that ran a catering business out of her home, and we would have our lunch breaks in her kitchen. Anyway, every day around lunch time a robin would just sit on the porch a couple inches from the door, and repeatedly hit the glass. This went on for a good month or so, and happened every day at the same time.

This was happening for 2 weeks straight, It just recently stopped this past week. It was a Robin that kept on flying into my glass storm door & the windows in the front of the house. It was so annoying, It would start from 7AM and do it allday. I tried to shoot it with my bb gun but couldnt get many shots since its in the front of the house & all these crazy kids bringing guns to school i didnt want to look crazy. But it stopped for now, theres nothing we can do about it. They say to cover up the windows... BUT my mom doesnt want to look like a crack house with paper all over the windows. The bird was also switching windows & doing in the back of the house also. Hopefully it will smack its head so hard it will die next time.

[carter108]

welcome swp. Maybe you should find a nice hobby. One that is not bird related.

Originally Posted by Seaboe Muffinchucker

taping a hawk or other predator will chase all of the birds away from the feeder.

But isn't it illegal to capture birds of prey like that & tape them to the window?

Oh wait, never mind....