Night time bird strike mystery (1 Viewer)

Last night at around 8pm a bird hit our back window with a loud thump followed by a lot of scrabbling against the glass. Frightened me to death I can tell you but I imagine the bird was more scared (poo on the window!)

I'm wondering what it was. It was a full on collision but it wasn't as loud as a wood pigeon hitting (a frequent casualty at the same window). The curtains were closed and the room dimly lit. What bird would be flying at that time of night? It wasn't an owl. The feather imprint on the window next morning showed a shape similar to a moorhen or coot. It had long legs with definite "knees". Neck was quite long. It obviously escaped injury as I can't find it in the garden.

We have a small brook at the bottom of the garden which attracts all sorts.

I understand migratory birds fly at night but I can't think of anything that fits the bill, no pun intended. Any ideas folks?

Many birds move and migrate during darkness and I'm intrigued how you have ruled out an owl- probably by the imprint left on the glass. Most likely a waterbirds as you've mentioned, possibly a Water Rail. Woodcock, Plovers, Thrushes and many others are nocturnal travellers. Difficult to be any more suggestive but whatever it was seems to have recovered.

In the first light of dawn during migration, small dead songbirds are found at the base of the high rise buildings in Ontario, the ones where lights are kept on all night long. They hit the windows as they're migrating at night and are cleaned up in the morning before a lot of people are out and about. Campaigns to have the lights kept off during migration season have only been slightly successful. Sometimes it's for the safety of the people working at night, cleaners or whatever, and sometimes it just seems to be the indifference or vanity of the landlords.

Have you got a photgraph of the imprint?

Also if you are getting frequent bird strikes perhaps you could be doing something to minimise them - there's usually a reason and a solution, such as window decals etc.