What is this Myrtle Warbler doing?
May 13, 2020 11:05:40 #
pj81156
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
Our living room adjoins our sun room. Each has a patio door. For the past four or five days a myrtle warbler has been attempting to “get in” our house. He (it is a male) flys up and down the doors—not flying into them, but up and down. All day. We lowered blinds on the living room door so he moved to the sun room door, so it seems it isn’t something he saw in the living room. Any ideas why this behavior? Thanks.
May 13, 2020 11:20:46 #
He is likely chasing his own mirror image chasing away what he thinks is an intruder in his territory.
Edit: Major photo opp!
Edit: Major photo opp!
May 13, 2020 11:20:59 #
davesit
Loc: Media, PA
He's seeing his reflection in the glass and being territorial, especially during mating season. We have a male cardinal that does the same thing. Quite annoying, all the peckings.
May 13, 2020 11:39:13 #
May 13, 2020 11:45:09 #
davesit
Loc: Media, PA
BTW, I taped a couple of pictures of great horned owls on my patio door to no avail. The cardinal just keeps pecking at the glass.
May 13, 2020 11:50:10 #
Note: Barriers such as blinds that are inside the glass often don’t work as reflection of background comes from the outside plane of the glass. Inside barriers such as blinds do occasionally work, depending on the sun angle.
Stickers such as those suggested by jerry41 should be on the outside of the glass and do not need to resemble predators or anything else. When a flying bird heads toward a window, it is not discerning images, but looking to pass between them to the apparent openings between them. That is why we are told that smaller birds may fly between stickers unless placed less than 3 inches apart.
As for hovering birds like your Myrtle Warbler, they are often displaying defensive behavior since they may be seeing their own image reflected back at them in the form of a competitor. Blinds could help in this case or perhaps a temporary outside the glass treatment until the bird loses interest.
Stickers such as those suggested by jerry41 should be on the outside of the glass and do not need to resemble predators or anything else. When a flying bird heads toward a window, it is not discerning images, but looking to pass between them to the apparent openings between them. That is why we are told that smaller birds may fly between stickers unless placed less than 3 inches apart.
As for hovering birds like your Myrtle Warbler, they are often displaying defensive behavior since they may be seeing their own image reflected back at them in the form of a competitor. Blinds could help in this case or perhaps a temporary outside the glass treatment until the bird loses interest.
May 14, 2020 10:41:58 #
May 14, 2020 14:41:19 #
BassmanBruce wrote:
Edit: Major photo opp!
I agree - with a warbler, I would take pictures first and ask questions later {especially since my wife had arrangements up in Canada to see warblers today - and then they closed the border}
May 14, 2020 16:58:06 #
May 14, 2020 17:07:55 #
pj81156 wrote:
Take pictures first? Sorry I shoot film.
Why would make that a difference?
You grab a camera and take a picture - then you take some other action.
May 14, 2020 18:42:40 #
pj81156
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
A little presumptuous of you? Telling me to take photos and then take some other action? I can make all these decisions by myself. I had a question. Others answered just fine, but you felt it necessary to tell me what to do. Really? And I imagine you won’t let it go, so go ahead, get in the last word. Or, apologize.
May 14, 2020 18:46:31 #
pj81156 wrote:
A little presumptuous of you? Telling me to take photos and then take some other action? I can make all these decisions by myself. I had a question. Others answered just fine, but you felt it necessary to tell me what to do. Really? And I imagine you won’t let it go, so go ahead, get in the last word. Or, apologize.
I told you what I would do - a suggestion.
What you do is entirely up to you.
I'm sorry I said anything in this thread.
[unwatch]
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