Melanie, here. I've tried several different techniques over the years to prevent devastating and preventable bird strikes on my home's windows. Up until last year, I was taping long ribbons on my windows or brushing a soapy film on them to break up the reflection. Sorry folks, a few stickers or hawk silhouettes don’t work. You have to break up the entire reflection so the birds don’t see it as more space to fly into, or they need a point of reference that isn’t the reflection itself (hint: why some recommend hanging bird feeders near windows, besides the spying opps). There are many options that really work and the best place to start is on a great birding website like Cornell, American Bird Conservancy and Audubon. Don’t trust products that aren’t endorsed by these bird conservation greats. They’ll have the DIY options too.
An example of how I use ribbons. This is pretty effective, but not perfect. Plus you have to keep replacing them. And it kinda looks funny (notice the wiley Barn Swallow nest above the window).
I found two great products that I've been using since and will last for many years! They were easy to install and do not detract from my view, either from the inside or outside. They were affordable for me as well, with costs under $200 to treat all the windows in my home. The DIY options cost far less.
The first one I tried is from FeatherFriendly (under the DIY Tape icon). There are several options, but I chose the tiny, square stickers. They come in a roll and they provide you with the tools to space them evenly. This was the most economical option and while I struggled quite a bit with the first window I treated, I got into a groove after that and it was pretty darn easy. I’ve had them for a couple years now with no signs of peeling off! I almost never notice them when I look out my windows. At certain angles, you can’t see them at all.
This is the most noticeable they’ll ever be, as an example. You stop seeing them completely after a while.
The second version I used is The Bird Crash Preventer. This option requires a cordless drill to install and is super easy. Four holes, unroll and you’re done! They are virtually invisible, except the way I installed them on two of my tallest windows shows the top bar. I’m ok with that. It saved me some money (for the shorter length) and I didn’t have to cling for dear life on my ladder at the very tippy tippy top (I’d already done that while I was repainting my house, much to the chagrin of friends and neighbors). Those wiley Barn Swallows that raised multiple broods under my porch like to perch at the top of these and I do enjoy seeing them from inside my house.
These come in all sizes - I was too “cheep” to pay for an extra few inches on the inside windows.
A wiley Barn Swallow perched on my bird guard.
Since installed, I haven’t had one bird strike, and one strike is one too many for me.
