Caymanian Compass, April 2001

By Lois Blumenthal

The birds are going batty! What’s going on? Why is that Mockingbird attacking your car mirror? Why is there a Bananaquit pecking at your bedroom window?  It’s peak nesting season and during the next few months, birds in the Cayman Islands will be staking out territories, mating, nesting and rearing their young. These activities are impelled by strong instincts. Windows and mirrors were not in these birds’ genetic blueprints.

Birds attacking your car mirror are males that believe their reflection is a rival. They will not (indeed cannot) give up until they have driven this intruder away from their territory. No training is possible and they will never learn or give up. If you are having this problem, simply keep a cloth bag or an old large sock in your car and cover your mirror when you are parked in the area where the bird is nesting. The problem will be gone when the nesting season is over. The exact length of time this will take differs, depending upon the species of bird.

If birds are attacking a window in your house, shine a light on it from the inside to minimize refection, or cover it from the outside with a non-reflective surface.

When two large windows or glass doors are lined up so that birds can see the sky through them, they will often try to “cut through” what they perceive to be a clear tunnel.  If birds regularly “conch out” on your glass doors or windows, check the view and place a hanging mobile, a curtain or other visible obstacle to block the line of sight.

The National Trust and Cayman Wildlife Connection sell hawk-shaped dark stickers to paste on windows. The theory behind this is that the silhouette says “predator” to the bird, so it will stay away. It also breaks up the view, indicating the presence of a solid object. The stickers cost only  $2.00. Often, a bird that has hit a glass window is only stunned. Put it in a safe place and watch for about 15 minutes. It may recover and fly away with no further assistance or veterinary care.