Experts estimate that over 1 million birds are killed by window strikes every year! There are many simple things you can do at your home and office to prevent this. Here are five tips for keeping birds away from your windows.

1. Put feeders within three feet of windows; at this distance, approaching birds aren't moving fast enough to get hurt.
2. Hang obstacles in front of the glass: tree limbs, strips of cloth or shiny materials, old CDs, toilet-paper rolls, or feathers on a string.
3. Spray the glass with vegetable oil or fake snow to make it opaque. Or stick on plastic wrap. Consider products used on greenhouses to make glass translucent.
4. Put decals—including dots or bird silhouettes—on the outer glass face. Space decals uniformly, two to four inches apart, to transform the window into an obstacle birds will see and avoid.
5. Hang netting, or buy special see-through screens. Also consider installing awnings that can be lowered when you go to bed or raised when you want a view.

To purchase decals, go to www.wpines.com.

For additional information, go to www.rlrouse.com/window-protector.html.

Check out magazine.audubon.org/features0403/alert.html for more information on bird strikes.