Bird Marks Left On Window

[rfianson]

A very tough question

I went into the kitchen one morning to find markings from a bird that had flown into the window. See picture. The wingspan to the feather tips is 55 cm. I suppose that a bird lifting off from the ground facing the window at night would see a reflection of the garden or maybe so itself as a rival. We have a number of wood pigeons visiting which seems to be the obvious choice but I don't know whether the size and shape are appropriate. I would love to know what bird this is. Perhaps just a classification is only possible.
Does anybody have any ideas at all?
Thanks Bob

[Juliet1200]

We've had the same marks on our kitchen door, and there were wood pigeon feathers everywhere. We came to the conclusion that it must have been trying, and failing, to escape from the peregrine....

[Richard Baber]

Hi

I've had a couple of these impact prints, one of which clearly showed the birds eye! 55cm wingspan is a little small for a woodpigeon, so could perhaps have been a collared dove, but certainly a pigeon of some kind.

You can read about 'pigeon powder' on the RSPB site: The RSPB: Advice: What is the white powder that pigeons leave on my birdtable?

Richard

[2dogs2000]

Pigeon strikes are quite common. I bought stickers which are sold to prevent this from the RSPB and I have only had one strike since.
This is one I had ages ago and it looks similar to yours.

[rfianson]

Thanks guys. We do have collard doves. The persistent chaffinch is still clattering the lounge window as I am typing. I hope he doesn't find the bedroom window.
Bob

[Lemars]

I have had those stickers all over our conservatory ever since it was built. In the 5 - 6 years since, we've had countless casualties - usually sparrows (there are hundreds in the vicinity). We even had a stunned sparrow-hawk recovering on the ground.
This year, though, the only two deaths so far have been two of our least frequently seen birds - a female blackcap and a goldcrest.

I honestly don't believe those stickers do any good at all. The only thing to do is to pull down the blinds - and that rather defeats the object.

C

[nightshade]

The best I ever saw was at a crematorium nr. Bath, there was a detail perfect powderprint on one of the huge windows of an Owl.
I have the Hawk stickers on my patio glass and still get bird strikes, especially when the SparrowHawk is around

[witham]

we have had similar patterns from pigeons, doves and starlings in fact when I've cleaned the windows I have left the 'splat' hoping it would keep others away