Halloween is a time of great fun with treats, costumes, and decorations. But one
special type of guest at your property deserves your attention: birds and wildlife.
Birds are right in the middle of their annual migration at this time, and they are tired,
looking for food, and not aware of decorations that might snare or injure them. Here are
a few things to consider:
1. Avoid Fake Spider Webs
These popular decorations may look cute, but they are deadly for birds who are flying
through and don’t see them. Birds from the tiniest hummingbird to an owl may become
entangled in the webbing material, and you may not find them in time. They become
exhausted or tangled, sometimes a limb must be amputated. Grisly, huh? Just don’t
use fake spider webs at all outside.
You can hang decorative webs inside or use large ropes outside that won’t trap birds. If
a bird or animal does manage to get stuck anyway, get a lidded box with a soft cloth in
the bottom, cut away the web and put the bird in it. Call a local wildlife rehab clinic (e.g.,
California Wildlife Center 310-458-9453) as quickly as possible. A bird may look fine,
but could be in shock or have some kind of internal injury.
2. Decorate Your Windows
Window decorations not only look great but may prevent birds flying into your glass
windows. Every year in the United States an estimated 98 million birds die in building-
glass collisions. Again, a bird may look fine after hitting the window but could easily
have a traumatic brain injury or some other serious internal problem. Call the wildlife
rehab experts and ask for their advice.
And when you take your decorations down, consider putting up anti-bird strike decals to
continue to protect birds from hitting your windows. They are readily available online,
and inexpensive. Our birds travel thousands of miles every year on migration, and they
deserve to arrive safely so that we can enjoy seeing them again.
Marianne Davis, San Fernando Valley Audubon Society
www.sfvaudubon.org