Visitors to Lettuce Lake Conservation Park may notice something new at the nature center: dotted window film on the windows. The window film has an important purpose — to prevent birds from flying into the windows and getting injured or killed.
With the addition of the window film, the glass is now visible to birds. The film also provides a one-way mirror effect so viewers in the nature center can see birds at close range without movement on the inside frightening the birds. Lettuce Lake, one of Hillsborough County’s most popular parks, also features a boardwalk along the Hillsborough River. It is located at 6920 E. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa.
The Tampa Audubon Society (www.tampaaudubon.org) purchased the window film at a cost of $2,600 for the Joel E. Jackson Nature Center, and the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation Department installed the film. The large windows overlook the park’s fountain and bird feeders, an area that attracts numerous birds.
Glen Murley, park supervisor, and his staff contributed numerous hours of labor to install the window film, which was purchased from Feather Friendly, a Canadian company that provides bird collision deterrent technologies.
“People often don’t think about the danger windows present to the wild bird population,” said Ann Paul, Tampa Audubon Society president. “Birds often fail to recognize glass as a barrier, which creates a risk of impact.”
“Before the film installation, an average of eight birds died each year by window strikes at the nature center,” she said. “An even larger number of birds were found stunned in the garden area below the windows. We needed to find a solution without degrading the view from inside the building.”
The wild bird populations in the continental U.S. and Canada have declined by almost 30 percent (2.9 billion breeding adult birds) since 1970, according to the journal Science at www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313.
It’s estimated that more than 1 billion birds a year die from window strikes in the United States.
The good news is that anyone can install bird collision deterrent technology to the windows of their home or business.
More information, along with excellent tips, is provided by the National Audubon Society at www.audubon.org/news/reducing-collisions-glass.
To get involved, visit www.tampaaudubon.org/post/how-donate-to-tampa-audubon.
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