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bubblewrap · Jun 5, 2005, 01:40 PM

I was cleaning up from painting new wood I replaced around my chimney and watched this littke fella fly into the sliding glass door. With a thud. At first I though he was dead after he fluttered and stopped moving. I picked him up and started inside when I felt him move a little. He's alive! I call the wife down to help me examine him and get an infermery ready if he has to stay a while. Upon close examination, we were assured he was just stunned.
I took him back outside and I could hear mama wren calling. After about 3 minutes of perching on my finger and looking around, he flew away. I bet he has quite a wren tell to tell.

ManOfSteal · Jun 5, 2005, 01:54 PM

You should really put up a caution sign on your sliding glass door from now on...

JoshuaZ · Jun 5, 2005, 01:57 PM

Just put anything on your glass door, it would save the lives of quite a few birds over the long run.

sideus · Jun 5, 2005, 01:59 PM

And knowing is half the battle...

bubblewrap · Jun 5, 2005, 02:02 PM

Usually there is a screen door pulled over it and they avoid it completely.
Through my thoughtlessness, I allowed this tragedy to happen.
But all is well and the screen is over the glass.

f1000 · Jun 5, 2005, 02:44 PM

The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I carried the stunned Robin to a safer place and watched it hop away a few hours later.

The Godfather · Jun 5, 2005, 04:44 PM

Too bad it was not an edible bird.

bubblewrap · Jun 5, 2005, 04:56 PM

MacMan4000 · Jun 5, 2005, 05:53 PM

I was expecting a picture of a golf ball

I have lived on a golf course since the day I was born (17 years), but we have never had a golf ball break anything. We did have one bounce of the roof onto the deck though. very close.

ManOfSteal · Jun 5, 2005, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by MacMan4000

I was expecting a picture of a golf ball

I have lived on a golf course since the day I was born (17 years), but we have never had a golf ball break anything. We did have one bounce of the roof onto the deck though. very close.

That's because I haven't played that course yet...

FOUR!

Apple Pro Underwear · Jun 5, 2005, 07:03 PM

Hawt Chick

ghporter · Jun 5, 2005, 09:41 PM

Several years ago, my family was driving home from Fiesta Texas, here in San Antonio. We drove by what looked like a large bath towel in the road, but there was something odd about it. Looking back at it, I figured out that it was a large bird. We collected it up in a blanket and transported it to an organization here called Last Chance Forever, which rescues and rehabilitates raptors. He turned out to be a juvenile Cooper's hawk, and he'd apparently been struck by a truck while flying across the road. Raptors tend to get very focused on what they're flying after, so he probably didn't even notice the truck until it hit him. His wrist was broken, but the vet and the folks at Last Chance Forever managed to get him patched up and rehabilitated to the point where he could be released. I think it was a great success story for all of us.

This February a red-tailed hawk decided that the reflection he saw in a friend's living room window was a threat to his territory, so he flew straight into the glass-and through it! Fortunately he was just stunned (and probably had an eagle-sized headache for days afterward), and he managed to get back out through the hole he made and slowly recover his senses. My friend called me to help her figure out what to do about the bird, but he'd gotten to the back yard fence by the time I got there. That was one looped bird!

All in all, if a bird doesn't see a barrier, he won't know it's there, and if he sees a reflection, he may consider it a threat. If there are a lot of active birds where you are, it's probably a good idea to do something to your windows to discourage them. Cutouts of hawk silhouettes help keep smaller birds away, and should discourage raptors too.

Oneota · Jun 5, 2005, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by ManOfSteal

That's because I haven't played that course yet...

FOUR!

You mean "Fore!". Tsk...baseball players....

Rev-O · Jun 6, 2005, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by MacMan4000

I was expecting a picture of a golf ball

I have lived on a golf course since the day I was born (17 years), but we have never had a golf ball break anything. We did have one bounce of the roof onto the deck though. very close.

At least he's not close to an airport...

ambush · Jun 6, 2005, 01:19 AM

we had a bird like that collide into a glass window of my elementary school. It was during our first day in 4th grade... that was special

Nicko · Jun 6, 2005, 09:46 AM

About two weeks ago a large adult dove (or large pigeon, not quite sure) slammed into my bedroom window head first. Broke its neck and died on impact. That was a weird way to start the day. :/

On the positive side, the Mongoose who lives in our backyard got a free meal.

Cody Dawg · Jun 6, 2005, 10:01 AM

It's so cool that you're in Nairobi, Nicko. Is the Fairview (hotel) still there? When I'd visit there that's where I'd stay. I love it there.

What kind of bird is it, bubblewrap? So cute - I'm so happy it was okay.

I have to go...I have two meetings and SO much work to do today.

Bye!

bubblewrap · Jun 6, 2005, 10:30 AM

It's a Carolina Wren or House Wren as we call them.
I saw it late yesterday afternoon with it's mother.
The little fella was anting on the seat rail of our deck while the mother kept a close watch.

ASIMO · Jun 6, 2005, 12:06 PM

I knew it. A wren.

Birds are cool. Until they crap on your car.

bubblewrap · Jun 6, 2005, 12:12 PM

That's why we have waterhoses.

DaKiwi2788 · Jun 6, 2005, 05:44 PM

My mom used to have that problem all the time with cardinals. They would fly from her cherry tree into the same window. This went on for years. They would **** all over the place, too. Finally she started putting newspaper up on the glass (so they couldn't see their reflection) and they eventually went away. But talk about annoying. I hated hearing those things slam into the window. I felt sorry for the little guys, but you would like after once they would learn.

grayware · Jun 6, 2005, 10:06 PM

I live in a log home with a large bank of large glass windows on one side and during our first couple of years here we had too many bird strikes and saw several deaths and several stunned that flew away (unfortunately that's not insurance that they're okay). Those raven decals don't work, nor do the mylar balloons or shiny bits, but what does work - if you can tolerate it - is to not wash the exterior windows. The less reflection, the better.

We even had a sharp-shinned hawk fly in to get stunned. We took him to Tufts' vet school and we were able to release him 4 days later.

Wiskedjak · Jun 6, 2005, 11:36 PM

When I was young, we lived in a house that had a wooded area as a back yard (trees virtually within reach of my bedroom window). One evening I heard a small thump followed immediately by a much louder one on my window. Looked outside and there was a dead hawk on the ground. We figured the first, smaller thump was a small bird being chased by the hawk and that the smaller bird was traveling at a lower velocity allowing it to escape the hawk's fate.