I'm Going To Kill The Bugger!

[ungreenthumb]

we have in the last few months acquired a kookaburra ( about the sizew of a very fat crow) who has discovered the other bird that is reflected in our windows. so now we have water painted one set of french doors, and put paper over it too, and placed a towel over another, but he just keeps trying to fight his own reflection in the windows and doors. not only that but he isn't affraid of me when i try to "shooo" him away. i'd be better off trying to catch him and take him to someone elses house. :lol: :lol: :lol: what would u do? i'm affraid he might break a window because he hits is so hard. his beek is broken at the tip because of himself. HELP ME!

[MrSeedy]

Oh my, the exotic pet trade is becomming more "exotic" all the time! Just remember , that by instinct they're quite wild and are most likely not at all like most parrot type birds that can be trained , if hand raised and bonded to you from a young age. I don't know what to recommend, but perhaps a return ticket to the wild for the bird!!

[decompost]

<_< oh my, shouldn't he be sitting in the old gum tree, laughing??? ;)

anyway, i wonder, are kookaburra prey to any sort of predatory birds??

i have seen decals of hawks or owls used on glass doors and windows to keep other birds from flying into them.
the effectiveness of this idea depends upon the bird being frightened away by the apparent presence of the predator.
something like this might be available online, if not from local suppliers.

but first of all, you have to know . . . "what scares a kookaburra?", :unsure: ,and i, for one, haven't got a clue http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/ozonetraveler/1.gif

[donybee]

Sounds like you have a problem. We have an occasional Pheasant fly into the windows here but thankfully not in several years.

[MrSeedy]

Looks like I made one of my "blunders" again reading the original post and I got the impression the bird was indoors. OOOOOOOOOOOOPS!! Still , it would be an annoying problem!!

[HarleyGal]

We had a male cardinal that did the same thing last year! <_< He would keep at it for hours, too!! We finally hung a couple of those spinners in front of the patio doors and that seemded to do the trick! ;)

[ravenhawk]

Mr. Seedy I was under the same impression as you. Id never heard of one as a pet but these days you never know. :lol: :lol: :lol: I think the local predator idea is a good one if you can get a statue or picture to put on the window of something that it doesnt like. Not sure though good luck

[SilenceOfTheClams]

Ungreen.... try hanging useless CD's by the window... the flashes of light make them take flight....... scatter them around a bit.....
Heads up tho.... certain chemicals from weed killers etc, get into bird's systems and they can suffer neuropathic problems, one of which is trying to dash into reflections....
I've scooped up a couple of birds w/injuries that unltimately perished and they were all within the vicinity of a farm field that had been recently treated.

Sorry for the lil feller....... sigh

[MaryG]

We used to have a robin that would fight with it's own reflection in our bedroom window. Every morning at the crack of dawn there'd be a "tap tap tap tap" on the window - Most annoying!

[jerseygirl]

We digress from the initial post at bit but you just reminded me of what happens every fall at my office. The building (outside) is totally black glass. At a certain time during each fall, when the sun hits the windows a certain way, the birds think they can fly "through" the glass. And for about 1/2 hr. each day, the birds come zooming into the glass, smash, and fall down (dead) to the courtyard below. I have a window seat and it's just awful hearing them plunk into the glass. I dread this time of year and wish for cloudy days. There are no windows to open. I wish there was some way to distract them.

[digiflower]

Well I found this. :unsure:
Problem
Other birds attack their reflections in windows, the species most often involved being the Laughing Kookaburra, Little Raven, Grey Butcherbird and the Australian Magpie-lark. This problem is particularly prevalent during the breeding season, but can occur at any time. Windows can be marked by this activity and kookaburras have cracked and occasionally broken windows by flying into them. The constant tapping at the window can be very annoying. Birds engaged in this activity are easy prey for predators, and they may be stunned or killed by the impact of hitting a window. Some individual birds become obsessed by "the other bird in the window", and spend much of their time attacking it.

solution
Solutions Prevent birds from getting access to the windows by hanging netting from the eaves or window frames. Hanging baskets or pot plants may be equally effective.
Install anti-glare screens over the windows. These prevent birds getting access to the windows, while reducing glare and heat inside the building, without affecting visibility greatly.
Destroy reflections by painting windows with Bon Ami, white shoe cleaner or similar preparations, until breeding season is over.
Apply transfers or stencils to the glass. A hawk shape cut from self adhesive paper can be used. These can be designed from outlines in a bird field guide.
If a Kookaburra is attacking its reflection in your windows, see if it usually launches itself from the same perch in a nearby tree. If so, removal of this perch could stop this behaviour.
Place a mirror near a window which is being attacked, but out of reach of cats, to provide an alternative reflection for a bird to attack if other measures have failed to prevent attacks on the windows.

[ungreenthumb]

thanks all for the ideas and info on chassing the birds away i'll try some things, but the problem here is we have the worst and fairly fast northerlies. i'll try some cds, he was hitting the french doors that hard he was knocking the putty holding the glass in. <_<