Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
One might think the chances of birds crashing into windows would drop in the winter when there aren’t as many birds around.
But that’s not necessarily the case.
Executive Director of Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Jan Shadick says even though there are fewer birds during the winter, the ones we do have move in groups, putting more birds in danger of being injured with every incident.
“What we do have is extremely large flocks of Waxwings. The Bohemian Waxwings have been in Saskatoon, it’s warming up and they are starting to flock up themselves to get ready to head back up north in the spring,” said Shadick.
“So what happens when one bird heads for that bush that is in the window, that is actually a reflection in the window, unfortunately, lots of the flock will follow them.”
Along with house windows that are near trees and bushes, Shadick says the large glass buildings along the river in downtown Saskatoon are also a huge problem for birds because they are in locations where the birds spend their time.
Fortunately, for concerned bird lovers, there are ways you can prevent flocks of birds hitting your home’s windows.
She says the best way is to “put something on the outside of your window that breaks up the reflection.”
“If you want to keep it really simple you can go out there and paint lines on your window with a bar of soap.”
Other options include markers, stickers and putting bird feeders and birdbaths near the windows.
Shadick urges people to give them a call when a flock of birds hits your window, even if there aren’t any deaths. They are building data on when, where, and how this happens while tracking the numbers of birds that are hitting windows in the city.
