On November 13th, CAFES partnered with SafeWings Ottawa and Carleton University to host an informational workshop to support Ottawa residents in their efforts to prevent bird-window collisions. About 250,000 birds collide with glass structures in Ottawa every year, and approximately half of these collisions occur in residential buildings. The workshop was part of the CAFES Carleton Reducing Bird Collision Project with participation by Glebe CA, Hintonburg CA, Fisher Heights CA and Westboro CA.

During the workshop, SafeWings delivered a presentation to provide key information about the issue of bird collisions and to share some of the important work they do in Ottawa. The workshop provided a presentation by Toon Dreessen from an architectural perspective which shared some of Ottawa’s bird-safe designs, and included DIY demonstrations of Feather Friendly window markers and Acopian Bird Savers.

Feather Friendly is a product that residents can apply themselves which involves a series of dotted markers to allow birds to see the windows. More information can be found on the Feather Friendly website. Similarly, Acopian Bird Savers are a simple, aesthetically pleasing solution that involves hanging cords on the outsides of windows to break up the reflection in the glass and therefore prevent birds flying into them. You can learn more about Acopian Bird Savers here. Research has demonstrated that both methods are incredibly effective at preventing collisions without obstructing views for residents.

Prior to the workshop, a survey was sent out to community members in order to ask residents about their experiences with birds hitting their windows at home, and those who were interested had the opportunity to take home their very own free sample kits. Finally, the workshop included presentations from Carleton University students on their research and community engagement projects, as well as how Carleton is becoming more bird friendly.