How to Keep Songbirds From Attacking Windows
QUESTION: Our family room has a 3 foot by 3 foot window that faces our backyard. In the afternoon, a small bird continually bangs and pecks at the window. I put an aluminum reflector next to our fence, which is about four feet from the house, but it didn’t work. What do you think I should do?
J.W., Thousand Oaks
ANSWER: There are two reasons your bird may be pecking at the window. Either it sees its reflection in the glass and thinking it sees another bird, is defending its territory by attacking the window, or the bird simply can’t see the glass. In the latter case, birds often hit the glass with such force that it knocks them out or kills them.
Houses with tinted glass--it’s highly reflective--are particularly prone to songbird attacks. Robins and cardinals are the two species most commonly associated with this curious and frequently alarming behavior, although migrating ducks and geese are sometimes killed at night when they smash into the large reflective glass panes of skyscrapers.
To stop the pecking, cover the outside of your window with wax paper. It’ll let light into the house but will eliminate any reflection in the glass. If you cannot abide an obstructed view, break up the reflection with stickers or masking tape instead.
If the bird is just defending its territory, you should be able to clean off your window within a few weeks, after territories are established.
In the event your window is invisible to the bird, creating what wildlife biologists call a corridor, you’ll need to alter the area in a more permanent way.
Long-term solutions can include:
1. Eliminating the bird’s perch. Watch to see where he’s perching right before his bombing raid. If it’s a tree limb, cut it down so he’s forced to focus his attention elsewhere.
2. Place potted plants in front of the window so the bird realizes there’s a surface.
3. Install sheer black bird netting from roof to floor outside the window. This can be costly and should be used as a last-ditch effort. You can find bird netting at garden stores.
Bunnies Are Bane to This Gardener
Q: We, along with our next-door neighbors, have been plagued by cottontail rabbits for more than a year. They eat our pansies and marigolds almost as fast as we can plant them. A friend recommended that we make a mixture of one part cement and one part cornmeal. We tried that last year but have no idea whether it works or not. We did seem to have fewer critters. But this year they are back again. Have you any ideas or should we try the cement method again?
E.B., Tarzana
A: I’d skip the cement method. Who knows what it’s doing to the rabbits’ insides?
To keep cottontails out of your flower beds and garden, install inexpensive chicken wire or hardware cloth around the perimeter. It should be 2 feet tall and not have any holes larger than 1 inch in diameter, or young rabbits will squeeze through.
If you’re having problems with jack rabbits, make the fence three feet high to keep motivated rabbits out of the beds.
If you go to the extra trouble of digging a trench a foot wide and a foot deep, putting an L-shaped bend in the wire and burying it, you’ll keep out other garden raiders like opossums and skunks. Make the foot of the L about 12 inches long and bury it pointing away from the garden.
Chicken wire is galvanized, which makes it the color of aluminum. If the look bothers you, spray it with paint designed for metal.
A short, wooden fence will work also, but be sure it’s installed tight to the ground so the rabbits don’t squeeze underneath.
Chirps Chip Away at Evening Peace
Q: Some birds have set up a “night club” in my backyard. They start chirping at around 11:30 every night and go until morning. Occasionally, they take a five-minute break and then start all over again. I don’t think it’s just one bird because there are at least five to six different types of sounds. Don’t all birds sleep at night?
K.N., Los Angeles
A: Sounds like mockingbirds are probably making the racket. Although all mockingbirds are notable for their skill at imitating noises, including other birds and even barking dogs, unmated males often sing into the wee hours in the spring or before the upcoming breeding season. Unless you can eliminate their perches, this may be one of those cases when you’ll need to wait out their “crazies” with a pair of earplugs.
Roof Rats May Be Feasting on Fruit
Q: I have a Valencia orange tree and a grapefruit tree. The fruit is being eaten by a mysterious animal that cleans out the entire inside of the fruit, leaving just a portion of the skin still dangling on the trees. What’s the animal, and how can I get rid of the pest?
A.D., Los Alamitos
A: Sounds like you have roof rats in the trees. Although they’re better known for walking over electrical wires and scurrying across rooftops, roof rats (Rattus rattus) often live in palm trees, vines or other heavy shrubs. They’re also a major pest in citrus orchards and avocado groves.
The rats dining in your tree can often travel several hundred feet from their nest to feed, so there may be no cause for alarm. Yet. But the fact that they are where they weren’t before might mean there’s an upswing in the rat population in your neighborhood.
Call a pest control company. Be sure to tell them if you have pets or other animals in your yard that might fall victim to a control program. The company should work around those requirements. Get a referral if possible.
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Critter conflicts? Send your queries to wildlife biologist Andrea Kitay at P.O. Box 2489, Camarillo, CA 93011, or via e-mail at adkitay@ix.netcom.com. Please include your name, where you live and as much detail as possible. Questions cannot be answered individually.
