5 October 2013
Birdprints
Posted by Callan Bentley
A long time ago, I posted here an image of an “owlprint” – the pattern of duff left on a pane of window glass when a screech owl smacked into it.
We’ve had a couple of new avian impacts lately out at Fort Bentley…
Here’s a clear mourning dove imprint on the upper level window glass (viewed from below, both inside and outside). No flash in either case…
And here’s an example of what may be a screech owl from the basement door… Or maybe another dove, with its head and wings at a different angle? Both shots outside, looking in, one without flash, one with:
Callan Bentley is Associate Professor of Geology at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. For his work on this blog, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers recognized him with the James Shea Award. He has also won the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia, and the Biggs Award for Excellence in Geoscience Teaching from the Geoscience Education Division of the Geological Society of America. In previous years, Callan served as a contributing editor at EARTH magazine, President of the Geological Society of Washington and President the Geo2YC division of NAGT.
Ouch! Maybe you could try some of these ideas to help keep birds safe around windows: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1184
Maybe I already have?
I’m not sure how much more I can do, other than removing my windows or covering them entirely.
Maybe so, and that’s great! The San Francisco Planning Department recently adopted standards for bird-safe buildings. Hopefully as more and more communities realize that practical solutions exist, our options will continue to expand. See http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=2506
There’s some new glass on the market that utilizes UV reflection technology so that birds can see the embedded pattern, but people can’t: http://www.ornilux.com/history-research.html
More about what has and hasn’t worked: http://www.flap.org/residential.php
Thanks for being open to help find solutions!