Take Action Burlington

On May 1, we published a blog post submitted by a Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington team member titled “May is for the birds” about the spring bird migration including where and when to watch birds and how you can take action for birds as they migrate. Tips included turning off non-essential lighting or closing curtains or blinds at night during spring and fall migration, applying glass treatments, and keeping cats indoors.

Believe it or not, fall bird migration is just around the corner, and millions of birds will be making a hazardous journey through our cities on the way to their winter homes. You can help make this journey a safer one by acting now to prevent deadly window collisions at your home.

This post, modified from FLAP Canada’s Aug. 10, 2023 blog post, will walk you through how to create your own bird-safe window treatment using soap, washable tempera paint, or oil-based paint markers (see note about removal below).

In this example, FLAP Canada staff turned their windows into a magical, bird-safe garden, with flowers and vines for our feathered friends. However, the possibilities are limitless! Treat your entire window like a canvas and use any theme or pattern you like, as long as the pattern is:

• closely spaced (do not leave any gaps greater than 5 cm or 2 inches)
• high contrast (white generally stands out well on most windows)
• on the outside surface of the glass

Learn more about why these guidelines are important.

What you’ll need

• A bar of soap, washable tempera paint, or oil-based paint marker
• A window cleaner that will not leave a residue, and lint free cloths to dry

Optional:

• Stepping stool for ease of access
• Stencils or designs to trace to add embellishments

Step 1: Prepare your canvas

Clean your windows with a window cleaner that will not leave any residue, and make sure they are completely dry before you begin.

If you are using a paint marker, carefully read and follow the instructions on the marker. You will likely need to prime the marker by shaking it and pushing the tip over some scrap paper to get the paint flowing.

Step 2: Draw wavy lines of varying length

Draw wavy lines down the length of the window, approximately 15 cm or 6 inches apart.

Step 3: Add leaves to create vines

Add leaves (or flowers) to the wavy lines to create hanging vines. FLAP Canada staff chose to do a variety of simple leaf and flower shapes, but you can stay as simple or get as creative as you like.

Step 4: Add embellishments to fill in any gaps

Once your vines are complete, it’s time to fill in any empty spaces with fun embellishments to ensure there are no gaps of untreated glass greater than 5 cm or 2 inches. Again, you can make this as simple or complicated as you like. FLAP Canada staff chose to include a flock of chickadees among the vines, and taped images on the inside of the window to trace (download and print the chickadee designs). They filled in the rest of the window with small dots, circles, and starbursts, to add to the ‘magical garden’ effect.

Note about removal

Soap will wash off naturally after a heavy rain; washable tempera paint can be removed with a window cleaner; and oil-based paint markers, which hold up best to the elements, can be removed with any acetone nail polish remover.

How to videos

Check out FLAP Canada’s online videos to create your design using soap or washable tempera paint.

Take Action Burlington! Birds need your help now more than ever. Try this fun and budget-friendly activity today to help protect birds from a leading and easily preventable cause of death. Collectively, we can make a difference.

We would like to thank FLAP Canada for giving us permission to publish their blog post.