Expert: Roger Lederer - 4/7/2008

Question
For the past three days I have had a robin attempting to get into my house from sunrise to sunset.  He stands on the sill and attempts to fly against the window.  I just bought this house so have no idea if it has happened in the past.  The window he goes to is one in the living room that opens and sometimes to the sliding glass doors on the side of the house.  I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.  Any idea why he might be behaving this way?
Denise

Answer
Robins and many other birds are territorial and when they establish territories in the spring they become aggressive and chase off intruders.Unfortunately, they don't distinguish between their own reflection in a window (or car mirror) and try to chase that off. The solution to the problem is to eliminate the reflection. 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. Hanging ornaments such as wind chimes, wind socks, and potted plants also help. The behavior will stop when nesting begins.