Spring migration has begun and thousands of birds who fly through or choose Ottawa as their summer home are arriving daily until late June. Safe Wings Ottawa, a nonprofit volunteer-based organization working to prevent fatal collisions with glass, estimates that over 250,000 birds in Ottawa alone collide with windows every year, including Species At Risk. Birds don’t perceive glass; what they see are reflections of trees or sky and they will fly towards them at full speed. The first four stories of buildings tend to have the most collisions, and they can occur at any type of building, including residences and cottages, or with clear deck railings. It’s especially important to make your windows bird-safe if you attract birds through feeding or plantings. Luckily there are simple solutions to make glass bird-safe!
World Migratory Bird Day 2023 (WMBD) is taking place on Saturday, May 13 and Safe Wings Ottawa is launching a Residential Bird Collision Solutions Spring Campaign to share information about various small-scale solutions, which residents are invited to read about on its website. One collision solution proven to work by scientific studies and local users is Feather Friendly window markers installed on the outside surface. From May 13 to 28, residents can take advantage of a 15% discount on Feather Friendly products from Wild Birds Unlimited by purchasing online or in store at their Ottawa and Kanata locations. Other local events being organized around WMBD are being communicated separately by the Ottawa Wild Bird Care Centre, Ecology Ottawa, Bird-Friendly Cities Ottawa, and Safe Wings Ottawa.
In closing, should you find an injured or dead bird, please call Safe Wings Ottawa at 613-216-8999.
