It does it whether the window is open or closed, or if the blind on the inside is open or closed. It does it from first thing in the morning, throughout most of the day.

How can I encourage it to stop?





by davidmirkin

35 comments

  1. Ignore the mess of an external wall, we’re mid renovation

  3. Thinks its reflection is a rival and is fighting it

    Cover the external glass with something matte (masking tape etc) until it stops having stupid ideas

  4. I think it’s attacking its own reflection. If you want it to stop, put something in the window to change the view. A picture of a face or a cat maybe?

  5. It might be trying to fight it’s own reflection, we had a bird spend days fighting it’s reflection in a mirror in the back yard. Maybe you can put something on the glass to make it not be as reflective, like that stuff they put on windows to let light through but make them not see through. Do have to put it on the outside ofc.

    I don’t think you’d have to keep it on there for very long, I think it’s only in spring they’re being so feisty.

  6. Happens every year in my back garden. Always the male robins getting territorial at 4:30 am

  7. Some birds get really aggressive defending their territory in spring. Looks like your garden is part of this one’s territory and it thinks it’s reflection in your window is a rival and is trying to attack it.

  9. It’s nest is nearby and it thinks it’s own reflection is a rival.

    I used to have a nest box close to my kitchen window. A pair of Great Tits moved in, and the male continually attacked it’s reflection. The next year, I moved the box.

  11. I’m guessing it sees its reflection and think it’s a rival bird.

  12. It’s a pied wagtail and it’s seeing its reflection and trying to fight it. You can get bird of prey silhouette vinyl stickers for windows and that will scare it off. I had to do this in a previous home.

  13. My brother is an animal conservationist. He’s explained this to me before.

    The best way to solve it would be to put something in the window that would either stop the reflection or imitate a predator eg. picture of a cat, or silhouette of a bird of pray. (That’s why you see them on large panes of glass outside).

    I’d do it sooner rather than later, this lil dude will be stressing out and tiring themselves out and maybe damaging their lil noggin.

  14. Pied wagtail?

    Probably thinks its reflection is a rival on its territory

  15. I used to have one that could see its own reflection in my door handle, and went at it for minutes at a time, all day. Really noisy, but only lasted a few days luckily.

  16. Breeding season, defending his patch from another male (his reflection).

  18. This is going to sound like a tall tale but I swear it’s true. We used to live near a car dealers and their receptionist used to knit covers for the car wing mirrors because a local flock of wagtails would attack them and crap all down the doors incessantly.

  19. “Ahh old foe, we meet again, we shall do battle and today it will not end in a draw like every other!”

    Followed by “fuck you and see you tomorrow”…

  20. Let him in! Let him in!

    Poor bird just wants to live life on the inside for a while. Fulfill his dreams! Open the window! 🙂

  21. Birds are territorial this time of year, it’s trying to fight its reflection because it’s on his patch

  22. Watched a yellow wagtail repeatedly attack a car’s wing mirror last spring. When the sap rises they see rivals in their own reflection

  23. As others have said, it’s that time of year where males will be getting territorial and he’s seeing his own reflection. Could just be his reflection is more visible on that window due to how the light hits it etc

     I would recommend putting something on the inside of your window to stop him from doing it, in case he brains himself. Something like cardboard (use a cereal box, Amazon packaging etc), tinfoil that’s been scrunched and re-flattened etc should help.

  25. It is attacking its own reflection, as if the reflection were another bird. Put wax on the outside of the window if you can reach it. Or a privacy coating. Anything to dull the reflection on the outside. I don’t think there is anything you can do from INSIDE the window. It will still reflect outward if you cover the inside.

    We had this happen a few years ago.

  26. It thinks if it gets the angle *just* right, it’ll penetrate the invisible forcefield.

  27. We had a Wagtail that went to our car mirrors and seems to fight with itself for some time, leaving many poops on the mirrors. We ended up covering the mirrors for a few weeks, then it seemed to either move on or forget as it didn’t happen again. Apparently this can be territorial behaviour, thinking it’s a rival bird in the mirror.

    It may not be practical in your case, but perhaps covering that bit of the window for a little while might persuade him that the competition has gone.

  29. This species does it with any reflective surface, my door handles, my car windows. It is mating season is all it is.

  30. Government bird trying to re enter its data center but the GPS is wrong.

  31. I had this a few days ago.

    You probably want to move the wire he perches on. If he can’t land there he can’t see his reflection.

    We couldn’t do that so instead used the bar of soap trick which involves rubbing a bar of soap on the outside of the window to remove the reflection temporarily.

  33. Looking at his reflection thinking “that crafty cunt knows all my moves”

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