Outreach Toolkit:

Preventing Bird-Window collisions in your community

Birds need you! Thank you for being willing to raise public awareness about how members of your community can protect birds and prevent bird-window collisions. Conservation takes a village!

Below are resources available to help you share information about reducing bird-window collisions. We want to hear from you! How are you using these materials? Are there other resources you could use? Email Brenna at bmarsicek@swibirds.org to request additional resources or with questions about conducting outreach in your community. Thank you!

Space is saved for a recording of the Train the Trainers presentation on July 31, 2024.

Two versions of a presentation are provided below, created by Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance. You are welcome to use these presentations, and edit/add your own content. If you use the presentations, a few things to keep in mind:

1. All content should be science based and maintain the messaging so information is consistent and accurate.

2. If you keep the photos provided, keep the photo credits along with them.

3. Please provide credit to SoWBA for the original presentation template.

Template: Preventing Bird-Window Collisions at Home (pptx) - includes presenter notes

Template: Preventing Bird-Window Collisions in Your Community (pptx) - includes presenter notes

You can easily create examples of different window treatments so people can see and feel what they look like! Receive a free box of window dots from SOS Save Our Songbirds and Feather Friendly to be used for outreach purposes. Just fill out the form below and SOS will mail you the kit! The kit provides enough tape and dots to cover 16 square feet.

Then, find an old window or two from the Goodwill, ReStore, yard sale, neighborhood, etc. and apply a few different examples of window treatments to the glass. Get a window insect screen, make your own zen curtain, draw a design with tempera paint or oil markers, etc. Set them up at events or in community centers with information for passers-by to see.

Free Feather Friendly window dot kit request form

(Available while supplies last)

1. Preventing Bird-Window Collisions: What you need to know (JPG) - by FLAP Canada

2. Creating your own zen curtain (PDF)

3. Bird Collision Corps information sheet (PDF) - information for recruiting volunteers for the Madison-area program, or for modeling your own program in your community

You can reprint this with credit given to the original author, or use these as a starting point for writing your own article. Local newspapers, organizations’ newsletters, neighborhood publications, and other community news areas are great places to submit these articles to.

1. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Spring/Summer 2023 newsletter article, “Clear as patterned glass” by Brenna Marsicek (page 8)

2. Madison Audubon’s Winter/Fall 2022 newsletter article, “Dealing with the Tough Stuff” by Brenna Marsicek (page 8)

1. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Preventing Window Collisions at Home webpage: swibirds.org/prevent-collisions

2. SoWBA’s Bird-safe Glass Ordinance webpage: swibirds.org/bird-safe-glass

3. American Bird Conservancy’s Glass Product Database with material threat factors: abcbirds.org/glass-collisions/products-database/

4. ABC’s bird-safe glass ordinance examples and guidelines: abcbirds.org/glass-collisions/legislation/
   
   
   
   

Two UW-Madison students hold a window treatment that is about to be installed at a UW residence hall in 2024. Photo by Brenna Marsicek