Something unusual today: bird rescue. Reader Garry VanGelderen from Ontario sent some photos of his wife’s bird rescue. And kudos to her!
Birds frequently fly into our windows. Here are some pictures of my wife rescuing these poor creatures.
Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens):
Golden crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa):
Rose-breasted grosbeak (female), (Pheucticus ludovicianus):
We have tried various means of preventing this, but nothing has worked so far.
And some insects from reader Kurt Andreas, one of which protects itself with its own droppings!
Thistle tortoise beetle (Cassida rubiginosa) larva. New Paltz, NY (July 27, 2014).
Native to Europe, this species was first reported in North America in the early 1900s. They feed on plants in the Asteraceae family, with thistle being a favorite. The larva pictured is defended by its’ spines and a fecal shield of its own making.
Sycamore assassin bug (Pselliopus sp.) New Paltz, NY (July 27, 2014)
Like most assassin bugs (Reduviidae) Pselliopus is an ambush predator using its’ proboscis to dispatch prey. They stalk woodlands and their borders, and as their name suggests can be found on the vegetation of Sycamore trees.
“fecal shield of its own making.”
Must make it popular at the Gastropod AGM.
Kudos indeed to the bird rescuer! I have hung several suncatchers or other dangly things at windows that are often hit by birds. It seems to help.
I can only recommend one of many things to help prevent the window strikes. abirdseyeview.com is one place to check. We use these and they seem to help. Not one hundred percent but much better. Put them on the inside of the window.
I do not know what those things are, but my mental picture tells me that if on the inside they will not be visible to the bird.
What the bird is seeing is reflected sky on the window, like a mirror, and that is why they fly into the window. So they don’t see much of whatever is on the inside until maybe the last second.
Nice photos! Good job saving the birds. We lose about one per year this way. Usually while we are at work and only find it later, dead. 🙁
I’ve found that it there is no other see-through window beyond the first one, the birds don’t confuse the first window with “air,” and so don’t try to fly through it . . . so I draw the blinds on the “second” window (usually on an adjoining wall). This seems to work, except for the waxwings in the fall who get drunk on the fermented berries . . . hmmm.
I meant to say “if there is no other” not “it”
Seeing the larva with the poop-armor reminds me of something. Here in South Carolina, on at least 2 occasions, I’ve seen an ant-lion larva (a “doodle-bug” without the pit trap) walking around carrying a pile of dust and debris on its back. (I was never able to get a good photo of them.) They reminded me of carrier shells (http://www.deepseanews.com/2013/06/the-masters-of-bling-carrier-snails/) at the time. I’ve tried searching for info on the species, but my google-fu has failed me. Anyone familiar with ant-lion larva with that habit?
Oh, yeah. They are very spiny, and so dead plant fibers clogged with sand will cling to them.
As an update, today I happened across my low-quality photos of one while searching for something else, and decided to do a more exhaustive googling. This time, I found that it wasn’t an ant lion larva but a lacewing larva called a “junk bug.” Here is the best that I could do with my low-quality photos of one.
http://s313.photobucket.com/user/darrengarrison/media/nature/junk_bug_lacewing_larva_july_2014.jpg.html
There are strips of prismatic tape used to frighten birds off agricultural (vineyards) areas. We’ve attached them to our windows and they work very well. Reduced collisions significantly.
A friend suggested that UV stickers might work; here are two examples that she suggested:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/901/t/17067.aspx
http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/featured-stories/15-products-that-prevent-windows-strikes/
And this is similar to what I use (bought them in the US a couple of years ago)
WindowAlert Decals
Decals cling using either static electricity or a low-tack adhesive. Each has a coating that reflects ultraviolet light, which birds can see but we can’t. When placed on a window’s exterior using the 2 x 4 Rule (see tips for using decals above), the resulting glow pattern deters window strikes. Choose from hummingbirds, butterflies, maple leaves, and other shapes. Available at your favorite birding-supply store.
PRICE: $6.45 for 4 decals
WEB: http://www.windowalert.com
I think the third bird might be a female purple finch, not a female rose-breasted grosbeak. They look very similar, but this bird looks too small to be a grosbeak.
As for decals, we use Window Alert, and they’ve been very effective.
Yes you’re right. The bird is a female Purple Finch, Haemorhous (formerly Carpodacus) purpureus. It’s funny. I’ve been bird watching for decades but never noticed the resemblance between female Purple Finches and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks before now.
In retrospect…you are right. Too early inthe season for it to be a grossbeak.
Anecdotical suggestion:
I’ve seen black predator bird silhouette decals used on he outsides window walled walkways, and despite seeing many birds around them I haven’t seen any casualties.
All together those are some angry-looking birds! All three look positively ready to star in the upcoming movie based on the video game of the same name. (Likely they are still smarting and annoyed at being fooled by such a mean trick as a window positioned to appear to be sky.)
And what a kind effort by Ms. VanGelderen to help ease their recovery, it made me smile to see.
After putting the BirdsEyeView product on the inside of our windows, bird strikes have decreased from “many” to zero.
Now *that’s* a bug!