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Non-reflective window film suggestions (1 Viewer)

ShannonP

New member
Canada
Hello all! I've been a birder for years, but I have a question I'm hoping someone can help me with. My place of work has a window about 5 ft up our wall, and in a nook between tha window and a concrete pillar, a robin has built her nest. She currently has 4 eggs. Sometimes when people come into the room and they notice the nest, they approach quickly. So far we've managed to keep anyone from scaring her away, but it's probably only a matter of time, and we're worried it will happen when the eggs hatch. We can't block the window, and we ourselves would like to be able to watch the nestlings grow, so I'm trying to find some sort of film cling that will block the bird from seeing us, but let us see the nest. Is there anything out there that is non-reflective (mirror like)? I assume a mirror appearance would cause her to think it was another bird and attack?
 
Welcome to Birdforum.

Putting up a one way screening film on the window could cause the bird to abandon the nest - any kind of activity close to a nest can scare the birds away.
 
Safest is to go with a ceramic film that will block UV coming into the room and is not reflective but makes the room darker and anyone inside is going to be less noticeable to birds. A reflective film may increase bird strikes and aggressive behavior when a male sees its reflection and mistakes it for a competing male. I have seen that with California towhees attacking window glass and the side view mirrors on my trucks.

Any window tinting business will have a variety of tint materials available. An alternative is vertical blinds which I have used on a 12 foot long glider section for 20 years. Even open the parallel vertical blind sections block any perceived movement of someone in the room. I have used this to avoid spooking hooded orioles at feeders that are hung 4 feet from the windows.

On the outside of one large window I have hung a 6x10 foot section of netting with 2x2 inch grids and these both prevent birds from hitting the glass and tend to obscure our movements inside the house. Anything that breaks up the outline of a person is going to work and that is the concept behind camouflage clothing and netting and paint jobs.
 
Welcome to Birdforum.

Putting up a one way screening film on the window could cause the bird to abandon the nest - any kind of activity close to a nest can scare the birds away.
I agree with the opening poster - carefully applying a film to the window is going to be a one-off event, disturbance at worst one time. If this prevents repeated disturbance from inside the room, it has to be a good thing.

I think Window Tint Film used to darken windows would work when it is brighter outside than in (but not at night if lights in the room are turned on) - some is applied to the outside of the windows which would cause excessive disturbance of your heating bird, but I think some can be applied to the interior side
 

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