September 1, 2022

A Great Day for Wild Birds

Today is a happy day for me. Film is being installed on the windows at the OHS. I know that sounds pretty boring, but to me it’s exciting. You see, this particular film is going to protect wild birds. Let me explain.

The West Hunt Club Shelter has some very big windows. This is a “green” element of the building’s design as the windows provide natural light, making the shelter less reliant on electrical light, and, of course, it’s much better for animals and humans. The downside is that large windows make bird strikes more likely, as birds often don’t recognize the windows. The number of strikes had seemed to be on the rise, and it was becoming worrisome.

But then we got lucky. A former chair of the OHS board of directors is well-versed in bird welfare and what to do to prevent bird strikes. She not only made recommendations about what to do, she also donated a bird feeder for the area where strikes most commonly occur and reached out to companies to donate their products and installation.

The bird feeder provides a distraction and causes the birds to slow down or stop as they fly toward the building. The film being installed on the windows today has small, inconspicuous dots that alert the birds and help them avoid flying into the windows.

I’m happy because the Ottawa Humane Society is becoming even more humane today.

Bruce Roney

President & CEO

P.S.  Thank you Margo Craig Garrison and our friends at Lindian Enterprises and Feather Friendly Technologies!