If you’ve ever had the unsettling experience of seeing or hearing a bird fly into a nearby window, you’ll know first-hand why our Bird Strike Window Film is worth installing.
As well as it being distressing to witness, it’s often fatal to the bird, and if bird strikes continue at their current rate, there will be widespread impacts on the ecosystem as a consequence.
Thankfully there are ways to help prevent bird strikes, and our Bird Strike Window Film is one of them.
What is a bird strike, and why do they happen?
A bird strike is actually the technical term used for a collision between a bird and an
Aircraft. However, the term has been adopted to describe the incidence of a bird flying
into a glass window.
Birds fly into windows because reflective or transparent glass is not visible to them.
Instead of seeing the windows as a barrier, they perceive it as an open space, and sadly are often injured or killed as a result.
What are the effects of bird strikes?
Unless the bird in question is very large, the main damage from a bird strike will be to the bird rather than to your window.
Many birds don’t survive the impact of a bird strike or the injuries resulting from them. Even those who fly away afterwards may not be as well as they seem and can still be injured or sadly die later.
Of course, this is upsetting when thinking about individual incidents. However, as a wider picture the effects of bird strikes can be felt across the ecosystem.
With Architects designing buildings with more and more glass to achieve bright, open workplaces or homes, glass is used more.
Birds have been around for much longer than humans, and they evolved to survive in an environment without glazed buildings; they can’t adapt as quickly as we can build towns and cities, so sadly bird populations are literally taking a hit.
The British Trust for Ornithology estimates that there are around 10 million bird deaths annually in the UK caused by bird strikes.
Deaths on this scale will have long-term effects on the ecosystem, with the birds’ prey population sizes growing, whilst their predators may struggle for food.
What should you do in the event of a bird strike?
If a bird flies into your window, the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) recommend that you put it in a dark, quiet place whilst it recovers, for example under a bush, and if it is still there in an hours’ time, call the USPCA or a local wildlife rescuer.
It’s hard not to feel guilty when you see the impact on the bird, and if you would like to prevent future bird strikes, there is something you can do.
Our Bird Strike Window Film is a great way to reduce the likelihood of a bird colliding with your windows.
How does Bird Strike Window Film help?
Bird Strike Window Film works by making the glass visible to birds, to make sure that birds know there’s an obstacle there, which greatly reduces the chance of them colliding with the window.
There are two ways that Bird Strike Window Film can work to make glass visible:
By creating patterns
We can install Bird Strike Window Film which creates subtle patterns on the glass which disrupt the solid look of the glass to make it obvious to the bird that there’s a barrier.
These can be stripes, dots, or grids, each of which are very subtle to make minimal difference to the visual appeal of the windows.
By creating UV-reflective surfaces
We also install Bird Strike Window Film, an innovative solution which incorporates UV or LED markers which are highly visible to birds, but almost invisible to the human eye.
This discrete option protects our flying friends whilst maintain a near, clear glass outlook.
Which glass is Bird Strike Window Film suitable for?
Bird Strike Window Film can be installed on any windows.
There’s an increasing demand for it on residential buildings as people become more aware of the impacts of invisible glass on the bird population and want to play their part in conserving avian populations.
Those who own high-rise buildings and commercial offices are also finding Bird Strike Window Film a helpful solution on their premises, as well as those who manage buildings near to airports where bird flight poses extra risks.
Could I help to reduce bird strikes with reflective glass or decals?
We often speak to people who want to reduce the risk of bird collision on their property and ask whether a reflective glass or reflective Window Film would help the birds to realise there’s an obstacle in their pathway.
Unfortunately, this is not an effective solution; reflecting the surrounding environment back to the bird doesn’t help them to orientate themselves but instead gives the impression that the glass is an extension of the world around them.
Decals are a good way to help the bird to realise that there is a window in front of them, if this is installed across a large enough proportion of the glazed area to make a visual impact.
This is a good solution and is recommended by the RSPB for this purpose. However they do have more visual impact.
If you are looking to create a design on your window then a decal can also reduce bird strike risk, and we can help you to design and install these, however if you want a solution with lower visual impact than a design, then Bird StrikeWindow Film is for you.
Contact Sureguard Window Films® about reducing the risk of bird strikes on your property
If you’re concerned about the risk of bird strikes on your property and want to play your part in protecting the bird population, you’re in the right place.
At Sureguard Window Films® we have been supplying Window Films for all manner of purposes for over 40 years, from Bomb Blast Protection to Decorative Window Graphics and everything in between.
Our Bird StrikeWindow Film is one which demonstrates our commitment to environmental protection and conserving the ecosystem.
If you’d like to partner with us and help to protect the bird population in your area, then please do get in contact with us today and ask us about installing Bird Strike Window Film on your property.