Bird-safe home windows: a local business success story

Have you ever wondered about businesses in your area who could help you with treating glass windows or railings on your home for bird safety? Maybe your glass is difficult to access from the outside, or you aren’t able or comfortable to get up on a ladder by yourself. It turns out that retrofitting residential windows is not only an action that homeowners can take themselves to protect birds, but also an economic opportunity for small businesses in the residential sector to expand their services to support sustainable home upgrades.

This summer, FLAP was contacted by a homeowner in Toronto named Paul who was seeking guidance on treating their windows on their home for bird safety. They reached out to New View Window Cleaning, a local business in Toronto who was able to assist them with installing bird collision deterrent markers. Most bird-glass collisions take place at low-rise buildings and residences, which are the most numerous forms of structure on the landscape. Voluntary retrofits by homeowners is a priority action for bird conservation and reducing the risk of collisions in the built environment.

We connected with Paul and Brian from New View Window Cleaning to learn more about their local success story.

Paul, the homeowner.

Brendon: Thanks for agreeing to tell us more about your project! What made you decide to treat your windows for bird safety?
Paul (the homeowner): We love the birds who visit our backyard. We feed them year-round and always make sure they have water – a heated birdbath in the winter and a fountain at other times. Our previous picture window was crazed, and we think that helped reduce bird strikes, but we would still get one or two a year (fortunately, to the best of our knowledge, never fatal!) But when we updated the window, we were worried that it would lead to more strikes, which defeated the purpose of setting up a backyard to attract them.
Brendon: What kinds of birds do you usually see around your home?
Paul: We live in the Humber River area of west Toronto, and we see the birds you would expect from that. Cardinals, Blue Jays, sparrows, mourning doves, woodpeckers and many more!
Brendon: How did you decide which treatment to use?
Paul: My mom’s house had a big picture window, and we used Feather Friendly there. We had tried other things like decals and they weren’t super effective. We are supporters of Birds Canada, and on their website, I first found info about BirdSafe and Feather Friendly Tape. It worked so well for my mom we wanted to use it too.
Brendon: Why did you decide to hire New View Window Cleaning? How did that come about?
Paul: We installed the tape at my mom’s house. It was pretty easy to access since it was a ground floor front window, but the window we were installing it on is above a garden. We had used New View before for our windows and cleaning our eavestrough and knew they did great work! On your website I saw the suggestion to check with local window cleaners for a professional installation solution. I sent Brian a link to the Feather Friendly web site and he replied quickly and said they had a staff member with experience in installation!
Brendon: Tell us about your experience with New View Window Cleaning
Paul: Outstanding! The installer did such a great job! He had the right equipment to set up in front of the window, and he was meticulous in his technique. He took his time and truly did an excellent job.
Brendon: How does the treated window look? Are you happy with it? Does it affect your view?
Paul: At many angles, you wouldn’t even know the treatment was there. But when the sun hits it a certain way you can see the squares and I think they are actually quite attractive. It doesn’t interfere with our view at all. We have two indoor cats who love that window and their view of the bird feeder and water fountain and they have been glued to the window since we did the install so it clearly isn’t hurting their view either. We are so happy we did our part to help make our backyard safer for our feathered friends.

Brian Finlayson, owner of New View Window Cleaning

Brendon: Brian, great to connect with you. Can you tell us about New View Window Cleaning – where are you based and what services do you offer?
Brian: We started in 1993 and are based in the Bloor West Village area of Toronto near High Park and try to stick within a 10 km radius of that area.  We offer window cleaning, eavestrough cleaning, minor eavestrough repairs, minor roof repairs, gutter guard installation, ivy cutting, screen repairs and some power washing.

Brendon: As a window cleaning company, have you guys ever been asked about treating windows for bird safety?
Brian: Yes, we have occasionally installed bird decals to deter the birds from hitting windows.  More recently, we have installed the Feather Friendly tape for a few customers.

Brendon: That’s great to hear you are able to offer that as a complementary service. Do your workers find it difficult to apply the treatment?
Brian: It isn’t too difficult.  It requires some patience and attention to detail.

Brendon: I can attest to that having stuck quite a few dots on glass myself! If other residents of the Greater Toronto Area are interested in having their windows treated for bird safety, would you be willing to offer this service again? How should they connect with you?
Brian: Yes we would definitely be interested in doing more Feather Friendly installs.  It is best to reach us through email at newview@rogers.com