Cardinals destroying house windows

[Lammchop93]

This is the first year it has happened at our house. A bunch of cardinals have been scratching, pecking, and ****ing all over our windows. We did some research online and found that they are territorial birds and when they see their reflections in the window, they attack. I have no idea why this is the first year it has happened to us. The last 2 years, our neighbor has had the problem but with his car mirrors. He ended up having to put shopping bags over his mirrors when he wasn't driving so that the birds would stop destroying his mirrors.

When we roll down the blinds, the birds leave the windows alone, but we just can't have the blinds down all day long until next fall when the birds leave.


Anybody else have this problem or know how to stop them?

 

[Vaquero11]

You need to buy one of those plastic owls and place it in your back yard. That'll do it.

 

[Lammchop93]

I've heard mixed results with the owl. I guess sit is just hit and miss. I will have to give it a try.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Contact the Vatican and explain the problem...oh, wait, wrong kind of Cardinal!

 

[Brandon]

Either the robins had enough with me knocking their nests down or the de-icing fluid I sprayed around where they were trying to nest stunk enough for them to go elsewhere.

*No, there were no eggs in the nests nor did I spray the birds them selves.

 

[Double T]

Considering you can't shoot them, do the next best thing and start feeding some stray cats.

 

[nascarfantoo]

Considering you can't shoot them, do the next best thing and start feeding some stray cats.

Or adopt a hawk. Is moving an option?

 

[The Keymaster]

Maybe if you change your avatar, the problem will go away.

 

[Lammchop93]

Or adopt a hawk. Is moving an option?

We actually are moving a month or so, but having our windows covered in scratches doesn't help sell it any faster.

 

[Lammchop93]

Maybe if you change your avatar, the problem will go away.

I knew someone was going to say that!

 

[nascarfantoo]

Hey, the avatar could be worse. It could be blue and white.

 

[Garand41]

The plastic owls do nothing to deter pesky birds. Bought one (+/- $25) for a construction job and within a couple of hourd they were sitting on it, and I don't have to tell you the rest of the story!

 

[Houdinih]

Pesky cardinals

They win the NCAA Tourney and they think its ok to peck and $h1t on someone's windows.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Perhaps you could try those multicolor lights that give the appearance of moving and changing colors? I can't say that I have tried scaring birds that way, but it could work and should be relatively inexpensive to try.

 

[xcalibur]

Try bird spikes or run a couple strands of fishing line parallel to the outer window sills where they are sitting. Another solution would be to mount an old mirror with a perch close by to direct their attention away from the windows.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

OMG a couple of years ago. I had a female cardinal attack my picture window.
It would fly into it and drop to the ground.
One day after it attacked my window.
It flew to the ground just in front of my house and the window.
A male cardinal flew in front of it.
For about 10 minutes I watched them bob their heads up and down. Just like they were arguing, or like he was asking her "What the Hell are you doing".
Then he flew away, Like I give up.
She immediately flew into the window.