Birds on car windows

In all, this behavior will come to an end in a few days or even weeks. For car mirror attacks, the solution might be as simple as moving your car. Or, you can find a way to cover the mirrors while parked.

As an example, plastic grocery bags work, tied over the side-view mirrors just don't forget to remove them before you pull away! For window reflection attacks, the goal is to minimize the reflection and there are several ways to achieve this.

If you have screens and they are not in, install them. Or, direct a bright light out the window. Another great option if you don't care about the view, temporarily soaping the windows with bar soap may also work. Finally, you can simply use transparent tape or window alert decals found online and apply to the outer surface of the window to help cut down on reflection.

Birds make a variety of calls, songs and sounds, each with a different meaning. Homeowners can protect birds by reducing window collisions.

Keep bad luck and death at bay by keeping birds out in all their forms. That means no bird-patterned wallpaper, crockery or artwork either — as even images of birds can spell doom. In fact, rumor has it that actress Lucille Ball of "I Love Lucy" fame was so fearful of birds in the home that she refused to stay in any hotel with bird-themed wallpaper, pictures or accessories [source : Mikkelson ].

This superstition also means you should never bring an injured or sick bird indoors either. Care for it outdoors if you must, but custom says it's dangerous to bring it into your home [source: The Diagram Group]. But even the most vigilant homeowners can't avoid all bird-related bad luck. Blackbirds, who have long been seen as messengers of the dead, can bring death and malice simply by hanging around your home. Other birds, including herons, bitterns and crows, may also bring bad luck or news of death if they decide to circle the skies above your property [source: Webster].

A bird that ends up splattered across your car windshield is a sure sign of bad luck — for both you and the bird. Some believe accidental bird-window impacts just zap your luck, while others describe them as an omen of death. No matter what your beliefs, it's interesting to note that an estimated 80 million birds in the United States meet their end each year by flying into car windows, which means plenty of bad luck to go around.

While it makes sense that faster speeds mean more birds making contact with car windows, researchers have found that birds do pretty well at avoiding cars — up to the point where cars start significantly exceeding the speed of predators.

At this threshold, the bird's internal system that tells it when to get out of the way breaks down, making it nearly impossible for it to avoid your car. This may not be much comfort when you're cleaning feathers off your windshield, but at least it can help you to not take the incident too personally [source: Ball ].

The ancient Romans observed the flight paths of birds to help them make decisions about the future. After all, since the birds were thought to be somehow communicating with the gods while flying around above the Earth, it kind of made sense that they might actually be able to provide some helpful information to those of us stranded on the ground with no direct line to the gods.

The Romans even had a name for it: auspicy , which is just a fancy way of describing the process of divining the future from birds. And now you know where the word "auspicious" comes from. The augur would stand in a sacred spot, facing east, then wait to see which way the birds flew. Birds flying to the right meant good vibes, while those flying to the left encouraged caution.

A bird flying toward the diviner meant good luck, while one flying away meant opportunities would be hard to come by. The higher the birds flew, the better the future, while low-flying birds were a sign of bad things to come [source: Webster]. Of course, this is one of those superstitions that was easy to misinterpret depending on where you were located, how you were standing and just how good you were at determining direction with a simple glance.

Sailors believe that seeing an albatross while at sea is a sign of good luck, while killing one spells doom and despair. The mighty albatross often flies alongside ships hoping to get ahold of some tasty garbage or scraps upon which it can feast. It's particularly persistent when compared to other birds and will continue following ships long after others have given up and turned back toward dry land.

Legend has it that these birds feel such affinity for ships because they contain the souls of drowned sailors, so killing one is akin to killing a fellow seaman [source: Webster]. Anyone who kills one of these birds is doomed to bear a tremendous burden — or hang an albatross around his neck — a fate masterfully illustrated in Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Before the creation of the Internet and round-the-clock news networks, people had little to work with in terms of gaining information or making predictions about future conditions.

To make a little more sense out of life, and perhaps in attempt to gain control, people living centuries ago simply learned to take cues from nature, including the calls and sounds of birds.

Legend has it that a songbird that cries while flying brings good luck, while a night bird calling by day — or a bird of prey screaming at any time of day — signifies poor fortune. Superstitious folks also derive information from the direction that birdcalls travel: Calls from the north mean tragedy, while calls from the south mean a successful harvest.

Birdcalls from the east are good for romance, while calls from the west offer all-around good luck. Of course, all bets are off when it comes to crow calls, which always spell bad news, no matter what direction they're traveling — unless the crow happens to be near its nest. If it caws three times in a row, beware: It's a sign that death is on the way [source: The Diagram Group].

An estimated million birds die each year by accidentally flying into windows on buildings or homes [source: Mass Audubon Collisions ]. These accidental collisions are messy and unpleasant, but not necessarily unlucky — except for the poor, unfortunate bird throwing itself against the window.

But what does it mean when a bird intentionally attacks your windows, pecking away at the glass? According to superstition, a bird pecking at the window means death for someone in the home [source: The Diagram Group].

Fortunately, ornithologists have a slightly more scientific take on this behavior. Birds are territorial , and this aggressive pecking is simply a way of defending their turf from what they see as a rival bird — really their own reflection.

It's most common among robins, cardinals and other birds that tend to make their homes in areas populated by humans. If you can simply wait out the pecking, it should stop by the time breeding season is over. If not, consider covering windows with a clear sheet of plastic to help obscure the bird's reflection, making it less likely to peck [source: Mass Audubon Collisions ].

People around the world are divided on how the peacock's brilliant feathers can influence luck. Another temporary solution to stop a bird pecking windows is to make the area less bird-friendly to encourage the bird to find a less hostile territory for nesting.

Removing birdhouses or several bird feeders, for example, may encourage aggressive birds to find a different area for raising their families. While birders may miss their company, the birds will feel safer and less stressed in an area away from harassing reflections. NOTE: It is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and similar legislation in many countries to capture or harm a bird, its nest, or its eggs, even with the best intentions. The bird should never be harmed to stop it attacking its reflection.

Watching a bird fruitlessly attack its reflection over and over can be distressing for a birder, and doing so is exhausting and stressful for the bird. Knowing why birds attack windows and how to stop them can help birders provide a safe, hospitable environment for birds to enjoy.

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