Birds trying to get in house at night

tractchores · Jan 13, 2015

Weird question - Anyone ever had birds trying to come in their windows at night? My house has a lot of windows (A whole wall of sliders on one floor) and this hasn't happened before. The last few nights there has been a bird trying to come in a side window, he's been flapping up against the screen. I opened the window to see what he wanted and he sat on the roof right outside and chirped at me for a bit then flew away. Tonight he's at it again... It is just a regular bird, probably a tufted titmouse or something similar size and color. Is he just attracted to the warmth? Maybe he's disoriented because the shade was open with a light on? He was at it for a good 5 minutes. They roost all around the house in my bushes, but thats 100' away on the other side of the house near the feeder, there's really nothing on the side he was on and this is the only window on that side.

dusty3030 · Jan 13, 2015

The light. If I flip the lights on in the outside shed any birds roosting in the rafters flip out and flap into everything to and fro.

dave1949 · Jan 13, 2015

Never at night, after dark.

Problems with Windows, Birding Basics

2LaneCruzer · Jan 14, 2015

I know that birds tend to fly toward the light in certain situations. During the Summer, I often leave my shop overhead door open, and birds will fly in and perch on the braces in the top. I have tried to chase them out so I can close it up, but they always fly back and forth in the top. So, I leave it open, and at about twilight, when it gets dark in the shop, they fly toward the light in the door and on out of the shop.

oosik · Jan 14, 2015

Quite often I have birds fly - full bore - into my windows. It sure wakes me from my PM nap. I've been told its because its darker in the house than outside and it confuses them. About 50% die due to the impact.

tcreeley · Jan 14, 2015

I find that birds crash into the window when it is darker inside and the outside light reflects off of the window. The bird goes full tilt because he sees sky.

Decals work some. The best luck I had has been with putting up steel garden trellising in front of the window. ( have a clematis grow up it). The birds see that instead of the opening in the sky and don't fly into it. Big windows kill more than small windows.

Sometimes birds head inside to get into a warmer area, some are just domesticated like house sparrows and starlings. Our old HQ used to always have sparrows flying around the store at all times. Hard to tell what is going on with the birds without knowing the species. Take a pic!

I had a coopers hawk grab a bluejay and try to fly off through the window. It glanced off and went to the ground before it flew back up and off with the bluejay. The blujay was wide eyed and going to its death.

tractchores · Jan 14, 2015

Thanks. I think they sleep on top of my outside lights, so turning those on may be disorienting them or something. This is in the middle of the night, so pitch black - no reflection on the windows. We do get a fair share of birds around in the day, but they rarely get killed flying into the grass (we've hung things in the window to prevent that). Interestingly the wood peckers love to peck the glass because of the noise it makes in the spring.

I'll snap a picture if he comes back and does it again. Probably doesn't matter, but this window had a screen - so he is flapping against the screen trying to get in. I think he's either disoriented or trying to get inside towards the light (maybe after being started out of bed by us turning on the outside lights).

KretZ · Jan 15, 2015

Mount one of those wooden owl decoys on the side of the house, after that they will give your windows a wide berth.

Threepoint · Jan 15, 2015

dave1949 said:
Never at night, after dark.

Problems with Windows, Birding Basics

Good link. :thumbsup:

tractchores · Jan 15, 2015

KretZ said:
Mount one of those wooden owl decoys on the side of the house, after that they will give your windows a wide berth.

We've got a real hawk that sits outside on a tree all day, they completely ignore him or harass him. He and his mate seem more focused on squirrels, but will eat a bigger bird like a blue jay a few times a month. I think I'll put out my owl decoy and see what happens. I suspect I may just get more owls though. They woke us the other night with hooting on the deck, went out and there were 3 chasing each other. Owl mating season apparently!

Bird hasn't been back for a picture, but it's been snowing so that may be why.