You don’t need a garden or even
a balcony for this – you can get
bird feeders that stick to windows.
They’ll certainly make birds’ lives
better – but they’ll make your life
far more exciting, too. Watch in
amazement as epic scandals, feuds
and romances worthy of a soap
opera play out before your eyes.
And it needn’t cost anything – you
can even make a bird feeder from an
empty plastic bottle (but remember
to clean it out regularly).
10
Clean
up
litter
Nothing is more heartbreaking than
hearing that familiar resonant boom,
and running to find a dusty, bird-
shaped imprint on your window.
Sometimes the bird will survive – but
often, it won’t. Windows appear
invisible to birds, or reflect an inviting
vista of trees. Some particularly
belligerent birds will even fight their
own reflection. But no matter the
reason, disaster can be averted by
putting stickers or decorations (or
bird feeders!) on your windows.
9
Make your
windows
bird-safe
8
put up a
bird
feeder
Birds become tangled in string,
plastic bags and other refuse, which
can either kill them outright, or make
them easy pickings for predators.
Some even build litter into the fabric
of their nests, which can be deadly
to nestlings.
They will also eat small pieces of
plastic, mistaking them for food
– and feed them to their chicks,
sometimes with devastating
consequences. Which leads us to
our next point…
“ Watch in amazement as epic scandals,
feuds and romances play out before
your eyes, with your bird feeder at
the epicentre of scenes far more
sensational than any soap opera “
20
birdlife • apr-jun 2018