View Full Version : Here's one for you bird people
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 11:30
WTF is going on with this thing? It's been at it for almost 5 hours now (this is outside our bedroom window). It flies straight into the window and falls onto the ledge, then chirps a bit and flies back onto the wire and comes at the window again. I got video but I can't figure out how to attach it through tapatalk.
47993
speedysst
08-06-2014, 11:43
Maybe it thinks your house is its home. It doesn't look like any other bird Ive seen in the wild in CO. Then again I don't get out much and when I do, birds aren't my biggest priority.
newracer
08-06-2014, 11:55
Probably sees it's reflection in the window and thinks it is a competing bird.
Probably sees it's reflection in the window and thinks it is a competing bird.
Yep, lost a side mirror on my jeep years ago to a Cardinal because of this. They will peck it to the death when they start this.
68Charger
08-06-2014, 12:34
MMJ bird
FIFY
This looks like an exotic bird- its beak looks very much like a lorikeet or a parrot. I wonder if it's someone's pet that got outside?
Yep I would guess pet bird that is lost. I hear they are good eating
I cant tell from the pic on my phone, is it redand blue? If so, im thinking eclectus. Expensive bird.
Open the window and catch it...
I cant tell from the pic on my phone, is it redand blue? If so, im thinking eclectus. Expensive bird.
Open the window and catch it...
It looks like it's more all-over red, and the beak color is wrong for a Grand Eclectus. Then again, it could be young. It does have the look that the Australian parrots have.
Catch it, and start looking for 'lost bird' signs. They're VERY expensive birds.
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 13:05
Red and black... I assumed it was a red cardinal, but then I don't know a lot about birds
No. It's the wrong shape for a cardinal, the wrong shade of red and the beak is all wrong. That's a parrot.
We had a robin do that years ago. It bloodied the windows on the south side of the house for an entire summer. It migrated south that winter, and when it came back it went next door and terrorized the neighbors for a few weeks before realizing it was at the wrong house.
I came back over here just in time for a visit from my ornithophobic mother. She woke up at 5:00 AM to a deranged and bloody bird trying to beat it's way into her bedroom. Pretty damn funny, but I took pity on it (and Mom) and put it out of its misery.
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 13:17
Here's a better pic of it... what is it? I thought parrots looked different?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/07/9ymyha8u.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/07/atabubyd.jpg
Male Summer Tanager attacking it's reflection
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 13:25
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/07/aqyjusab.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/07/utu7a6uv.jpg
New pics - looks like a pissed off Northern Cardinal
That close-up makes all the difference in the world. [Coffee]
It's not a Summer Tanager, but it's definitely been scrapping- see the missing feathers? I think Davsel's right- it's attacking it's reflection. It does look like a young male cardinal.
http://www.birdzilla.com/images/stories/id2/northern-cardinal-id-male.jpg
Ding! Ding! Ding! And the winnah by a beak is.... DAVSEL! [rockon]
I'd say cardinal.
OT, Grey, do you have a grey?
I'd say cardinal.
OT, Grey, do you have a grey?
Nope, although I've been bitten by an African Grey (among other birds.) [flamingo]
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 13:43
Is there any way to stop it? I'm fairly sure it's illegal to shoot them
Is there any way to stop it? I'm fairly sure it's illegal to shoot them
http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Cardinals-Windows.html
Cardinals and Robins are very territorial birds. When birds see another of the same species in its breeding or feeding territory, it instinctively attacks the other bird.
Your house or cars windows act as mirrors to the birds.
When they are close enough to see their own reflection, they interpret this as an intruder and begin attacking or pecking at the window to chase the intruder away.
Birds Crashing or Flying into Windows
Each year, thousands of birds including Cardinals and Robins die, crashing or flying into windows.
In this case, the bird sees a refection of trees or sky and is unable to tell that the window is a solid barrier.
We as bird watchers need to take every measure possible to remedy this problem.
What do I do to stop birds from crashing, pecking windows?
Decrease the reflectivity of your windows:
Pull down your shades: white curtains or blinds can make it difficult for birds to see their reflections.
Car mirrors can be covered with paper or plastic bags and held on with rubber bands, if possible, move the car to a different spot.
Put the screens in operable windows to make them less reflective.
Consider soaping your windows for a couple of weeks during the nesting season.
Break up the reflection by hanging something, placing decorative window films, or using 1-inch-wide tape or ribbon to create vertical stripes every four inches on the outside of your windows.
Move houseplants away from the glass and close curtains over windows and sliding glass doors whenever possible.
Visitors Tips: One of our website visitors, James from Ontario, uses a full size 8.5 x 11 photo of a persons face. "I've tried changing the face. I tried a male and female face. I tried putting the picture on the back of a chair in the room rather than on the window. All have worked. So far the faces I have tried have all been in colour and they have filled the 8.5x11 page. James said. Give it a try, it may work for you.
Dave from Florida offers: I went outside and applied some "press-and-seal" to the window and that did the trick. It was quick, easy, and can be easily removed when the bird moves on.
Pam from Texas offers: I have been able to keep a persistent cardinal from fighting with the windows using the metallic strips used for keeping birds out of fruit trees.
Create a physical barrier:
Build a net frame to act as a barricade by mounting fine-mesh netting (available at garden centers or hardware stores) in a rigid frame, using shelf brackets to hold the frame a couple of inches away from the window.
Install indoor-outdoor blinds on the outside of your windows.
Adhesive-backed cut-out silhouettes of hawks or falcons in flight to attach to the outer surfaces of reflective glass are sold in virtually all stores catering to naturalists and birders. In fact, any shape will work. The non-reflective cutout helps the birds focus on the glass and, knowing it's there, avoid it.
If you're a bird watcher and feed birds, consider moving your feeders further away from windows.
While these measures won't guarantee Cardinals and Robins will stop pecking and crashing into your windows, they may minimize the behavior.
One last point This behavior is at its peak during the nesting season. For the most part, this behavior should decrease as soon as the young leave the nest.
Cardinal - state bird of Virginia. Not smart. Just a little less aggressive than a Blue Jay.
Any cats in the neighborhood? Put some food on the ground under the branch or wire it likes. Let nature take it's course.
Put some masking tape on the outside of your windows; break up that reflective surface.
mcantar18c
08-06-2014, 15:13
The window is not very accessible from the outside. The ledge is around 10-12 feet of the ground and I'd have to trim that bush to get in there with a ladder.
The window is not very accessible from the outside. The ledge is around 10-12 feet of the ground and I'd have to trim that bush to get in there with a ladder.
Either cover up the window till the bird forgets about the bird in the window invading his turf, or you will probably get to replace the window when he cracks it. You wouldn't think it, but these little things can break glass.
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