Saving birds one sticker at a time

A bird researcher at Western University in London, Ont is trying to save wild birds one sticker at a time.

Brendon Samuels, a PHD candidate, has designed and is distributing a new static cling decal to warn property owners that the glass windows in their buildings could be putting birds at risk, or kill them.

“Glass doesn’t exist in nature, so when animals like birds encounter it for the first time they don’t understand that that mirror image isn’t real,” explained Samuels. “Birds will, unfortunately collide with the window as they’re trying to reach a reflected tree, or what they see to be sky or open space.”

The static cling decals look like typical stickers. They are shaped like a stop-sign, and include the message, ‘Windows like these are killing birds. There are solutions! Stop collisions & save birds.’(Source: Brendon Samuels)“What we’ve done is embedded QR codes in the new stickers that link to government sources of information on how to prevent bird-window collisions,” said Samuels.

He said he doesn’t consider the use of them to be vandalism because they can be removed easily, and leave no residue.

According to Samuels, one billion birds are killed in North America every year from collisions with windows.

He said a typical building with glass windows results in the deaths of between two and 10 birds per year.

Ultimately, the bird-loving community wants new design standards to make new buildings more bird friendly.

But Samuels said there’s also a lot property owners can do to retrofit existing buildings.

“Film is a good option for large-scale projects like a commercial or industrial building. If you’re trying to do something more economical you can hang a curtain cord or string on the outside of the glass, again, spaced appropriately, and that can be done for fairly cheap and still really do the job.”

So far, more than 1,000 of the static cling decals have been ordered by groups throughout Canada and the U.S.