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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Impressions. (1 Viewer)

NIK III

NIK III

Well-known member
Whilst busy in the living room yesterday I heard a loud noise on the house that made me go outside and check everything was OK. Everything looked normal. Hours later I went into my birdwatching room. On the window was a dust impression of a bird with a 2 foot wingspan. The impression showed the leading edge had struck the window in a slightly bowed up position. Tail feathers rounded showed up well, and some body feathers showed up well. Head to tail was about 4 1/2 inches. It wasn't anything like the quality of the owl in the GBW magazine a few months ago but was still impressive. Noise mystery solved I checked the garden but no injured birds. My only regular garden visitors of this size are pigeons. I expect that is what it was. Has anyone else seen these detailed impressions. I've not had anything but an occasional smudge before. Sorry no pic. I will have to get myself a digi camera.
Roy.
 
Hi Roy,
Yes I've had a few similar "thuds" followed by imprints on both the kitchen and conservatory windows.
The kitchen one turned out to be a perfect imprint of a Collared Dove......every detail was impressed onto the glass even the bill,amazing how it survived and I'm assuming it did as we never found a body!
Glad yours did too! :t:
Best wishes,
 
Hi Roy, Yes I've had a Wood Pigeon make a rather detailed impression on the bedroom window with all the breast feathers clearly showing. Fortunately he survived and was seen having a preen on the roof just after. I'm pleased to say window collisons are very rare here.
 
Yes, perfect outline of a woodie, barely a week ago on my kitchen window. It had been scared by next door`s cat :C . Fortunately, the window cleaner came the next day, so all the evidence has now gone.
 
Hi Roy,
Glad to say, Ive never had a Bird collision.
In the summer I put out a light dusting of flour in the night to try & find Hedgehog prints (a tip from another member) & was facinated to see the variety of night visitors to the garden. The prints were facinating.
 
We have had a few wood pigeon outlines on the patio doors and for some reason, our bedroom window. Very clear, with even the beak showing.

Pie - I have been fascinated to see how many paw prints and tracks there are across our back lawn when there has been a heavy dew.
 
Yeah, unfortunately there has been a couple at work during the summer. There is a corridor that has windows both sides, so it looks like there is a way through. Two separate imprints and one dead pigeon. Also a dunnock met it's end while hitting a window at the reception area.
 
Hi All. Thanks for the replies. It seems these detailed impressions are more common than I thought. All these birds slamming into our windows and leaving a lasting impression of themselves. Well, until the next time we clean our windows that is. I think mine might be there for a while :C . Obviously they are spending a lot of time sampling our offerings, but not enough time in our bird baths! Dusty little tinkers. 3:)
Good idea for checking on the hedgehogs pie.
Best wishes
Roy
 
Hi roy,

We've had the odd collared dove imprint too. Sad to say we had a lot of window strikes so we had to move our feeders further away from the house. I think the problem is we have huge windows, and being surrounded by woodland at the back, to the birds it just looked like the woods continued on, still moving the feeders did the trick.
 
Cathy H said:
Hi roy,

We've had the odd collared dove imprint too. Sad to say we had a lot of window strikes so we had to move our feeders further away from the house. I think the problem is we have huge windows, and being surrounded by woodland at the back, to the birds it just looked like the woods continued on, still moving the feeders did the trick.
Click to expand...

Hi Cathy.Thats my problem too. I have 2 very large plate windows. From the bird's point of view they see a reflection of the sky and trees. Normally window strikes only occur when there are lots of immature birds around. If a spawk comes through they zoom off in all directions. I just put the dazed specimens on the bird table. I've only ever had 1 fatality.
All the replies relate to pigeons of some sort. Perhaps they have a particular problem.
Best wishes
Roy
 
Hi Roy & All,
Only just caught up with this thread, sorry. Yes, I too have had the perfect imprints of a Wood Pigeon and Starlings. The W.P. made an unholy bang though!! I seem to have had more bird strikes since having double glazing installed this year. Unfortunately I can't move the feeders further away, as there is no further away!!! :'D It's a very small garden!! I rescue many birds which are stunned, I get an old towel and wrap them in it and hold them gently in my hands & the warmth from my hands seem to revive them quite quickly, and then I gently place them on the ground in the flower borders and watch them until they fly off. I have more survivors than not, thank goodness, and it gives me a chance to 'get up close and personal'. It's amazing how beautiful a Starling and H.Sparrows are, when seen so closely, I always class it a real privelege. I'd rather they didn't smash into the window in the first place of course!
All the Best,
 
Hi Judo.
I do a similar thing to your actions with dazed birds, but I tend to use bare hands; I feel that the warmth gets to them more quickly that way. Just to feel the very rapid heartbeat, brought on by the collision, gradually slowing down to normal, and the interest in life coming back is so wonderful. I wait for the slight struggle to begin, open my hands, and if it's fit to do so, away it goes. It doesn't always work, but when it does, which is more often than not, it's quite magical.

All the best.
Baz.
 
Judo said:
Hi Roy & All,
Only just caught up with this thread, sorry. Yes, I too have had the perfect imprints of a Wood Pigeon and Starlings. The W.P. made an unholy bang though!! I seem to have had more bird strikes since having double glazing installed this year. Unfortunately I can't move the feeders further away, as there is no further away!!! :'D It's a very small garden!! I rescue many birds which are stunned, I get an old towel and wrap them in it and hold them gently in my hands & the warmth from my hands seem to revive them quite quickly, and then I gently place them on the ground in the flower borders and watch them until they fly off. I have more survivors than not, thank goodness, and it gives me a chance to 'get up close and personal'. It's amazing how beautiful a Starling and H.Sparrows are, when seen so closely, I always class it a real privelege. I'd rather they didn't smash into the window in the first place of course!
All the Best,
Click to expand...


Hi Judo. You and Baz sound very caring. I think my lot would appreciate your attentions. I dare not leave mine anywhere on the ground. The local cats have learnt to be very stealthy. Even when I view their known hiding places through bins they can be so well hidden I don't see them. I lost a Dunnock that way. Lots of chopping down of weeds and installing Cat Watch has helped since. When I've watched them on the table the presence of other birds seems to help. I have double glazing and can't move my feeders further away either. Sentinels help but when they are spooked they fly first and think later. Crash!
Best wishes
Roy
 
It is my opinion that the impressions on windows left by a birdstrike are caused by the oil conditioning that they coat their feathers with by preening.Especially after bathing.These operations are absolutely essential maintenance of flying skill and weather proofing.Robins usually have a bath at late dusk and then preening before bed
even in freezing temperatures
maurice
 
mauricek said:
It is my opinion that the impressions on windows left by a birdstrike are caused by the oil conditioning that they coat their feathers with by preening.Especially after bathing.These operations are absolutely essential maintenance of flying skill and weather proofing.Robins usually have a bath at late dusk and then preening before bed
even in freezing temperatures
maurice
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for that info maurice.
Roy
 
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