1. How can I keep birds from flying into my windows?

A: Silhouettes of flying hawks or falcons do work, but they perform best when applied on the outside of the glass. Hanging ornaments such as wind chimes, wind socks, and potted plants also helps. Misting the outside of the window with a very weak detergent or soda solution will eliminate the reflection but will also impair visibility for you. Awnings, eave extensions, and window screens will eliminate all reflection and stop the collision problem. Plastic cling wrap applied to the inside or outside of the window can also be effective. One of the most effective solutions we have found is Feather Guard.

2. Why are bluebirds repeatedly striking their heads against my windows?

A: Your birds are fighting their reflections in the windows, thinking that the reflection is a rival bird. One of the solutions we use is to place screens over the outside of the window. Plastic wrap stuck to the outside will also work - anything that will break up the reflection will do. We have also offered our bluebirds places to perch, such as snags and posts, far from our windows. Bluebirds love a perch in the middle of a lawn or field. This has worked to distract the birds from our windows. For answers to the most commonly asked bird questions, get a copy of The Backyard Bird Watcher's Answer Guide.

3. How long will the female cardinal in our backyard persist in striking against our windows?

A: The behavior will last through the breeding season. In some individuals it may go on year-round, for years! It's a territorial reaction to seeing an intruder on her "turf." Covering the windows with screens will help, but when we had the same problem a few years ago, the bird just moved to another window. A sharp-shinned hawk put our bird out of its misery. You may try screening, or plastic wrap on the outside surfaces of the window. Remove any perches from which the bird can see itself in the windows. And continue to harass the bird to try to shock it out of its pattern of territoriality. (Spraying the bird with the garden hose may work, and rubber snakes hung by the windows sometimes do the trick.) If all else fails, call your local wildlife officials and ask them to come out and remove the bird for you. It's drastic, but it will end the problem for good. For answers to the most commonly asked bird questions, get a copy of The Backyard Bird Watcher's Answer Guide.

4. Why is a female mountain bluebird spending the day bashing into our windows?

A: Most likely, the bluebird is mistaking its reflection for another bird, and is attempting to drive the intruder away. This often happens in spring, when birds of both sexes become highly territorial. Upon seeing their reflection in a window or car mirror, they will fight to the point of exhaustion. Try discouraging this behavior by covering your window surfaces with screens, plastic wrap, or another material that will eliminate the reflection.

At my farmhouse, a male cardinal spent two weeks fighting his reflection at every one of our windows. We covered the window panes he attacked, and he discovered new ones. We scared him away, and he returned. Rubber snakes? He laughed at them. Finally, a sharp-shinned hawk put him out of "our" misery.

I guess that is the ultimate solution - birds do not live long in the wild. Moreover, finding and fighting reflections seems to be an individual habit adopted only by certain birds. Eventually they will be gone, and this behavior will cease once the nesting season ends.

For answers to the most commonly asked bird questions, get a copy of The Backyard Bird Watcher's Answer Guide.