Are window bird feeders safe for birds

Safety of a window bird feeder can rely entirely on the few mounted suction cups, though they do create a strong vacuum between the feeder and the glass window.

I do believe window bird feeders are safe providing the four suction cups fixed to the bird feeder have no faults. To prevent a collapse the bond mustn't be broken, thus no holes or tampering with the cups must be avoided. Run tests for a week with weight added to see if the feeder remains stuck on your window.

While there's very lightweight, single use bird feeders for suet cakes only, then there's window bird feeders that can get a little too large for their own good.

Safety of a window bird feeder is paramount thus its vital you avoid a collapse at all times, by going carefully with a small amount of bird food used at any time.

With that in mind a lightweight, made in plastic window bird feeder can get a little too bulky for its own good when making use of a squirrel proof window bird feeder; designed with a metal cage surrounding the bird food tray.

Manufacturer's have you covered as they use up to four individual suction cups that have you backed up if one fails, thus a full collapse is less likely to happen.

More suction cups on a window bird feeder the better, as a single one or two suction cups will not provide you the backup that is required.

Best window bird feeders you can buy will come with a minimum of four suction cups, while its imperative you never exceed the maximum bird food weight limit.

If using a window hummingbird feeder this also applies to how much or little nectar you can use - which happens to be far less in this smaller bottle capacity feeder.

Be sure to stick on sticky notes or tape to the window to let birds know there's a panel of glass there, and not more yard.

Now all you have to do is focus on attracting birds to your window bird feeder. How a window bird feeder works is making sure its kept visible to backyard birds, while keeping it replenished with their favorite wild bird food mix at all times.

Window feeders ARE safe

One thing you can guarantee with a window bird feeder, is that they are safe to use even though attracting birds to a window bird feeder is another story.

Window bird feeders are safe if you can get a good hold on all four suction cups in one go, with any one faulty suction cup certainly risking a collapse at some point.

To get a really good suction on each and every suction cup, in turn you'd find it would be quite hard to remove; unless you form a certain move or action for the window bird feeder to be pulled down - to clean or maintain once in a while.

Safe as window bird feeders are there's certainly a risk of overloading the feeder with bird food, far more than the capacity recommends.

What can go wrong at this point is nothing, its only when birds begin to converge on the window bird feeder will you see a sign of movement - as its seen to slide down the glass window, which could lead to the feeder dropping to the ground.

Birds are quite light even for the larger Blue Jays or Northern Cardinals who sometimes give it a go - including Crows if you'd believe it - with this extra weight expected.

Feeder collapse possible

Unlike the security we have with a regular seed or nut bird feeder hanging off a bracket or branch - with a nectar-filled Hummingbird feeder suspended off brackets - of course there's some danger to using a window bird feeder.

Are window bird feeders any good for storing bird food, of course they are - with any risk of collapse a possibility for everyone who sticks a feeder on their window.

Feeder collapse is usually a fault of your own, as you initially are careless when placing the window bird feeder up at the very start. Its can go unnoticed until a collapse happens so you therefore must go very carefully at all times.

Once again you need to be sure all four - which is usually four suction cups by default on every feeder - by making sure they are wet by dampening them with a cloth or simply licking them all with your tongue.

Technique such as this as served us well by creating a strong bond to a glass window, thus will serve to create a strong sticking point for the window bird feeder.

To avoid a sudden collapse out of nowhere you'd first need to clean the window where you intend to stick the window bird feeder on.

Point of that is to get rid of any residue or debris in which case can create a fault in the suction - which can lead to a fall if any weight is added to it, or if you touch it at all. To which I ask you to run a few tests to be sure the bond will hold.

Run tests until opening

If you don't feel entirely sure about where and how you stuck the window bird feeder on to its spot, and it doesn't feel safe at all - then there's tests you can run to be 100% sure.

What you will do is put up the window bird feeder on its spot by being sure there's a tight bond with all the suction cups in place. In doing this, be mindful of this could be the only time you need to put up the bird feeder, so don't drop standards.

What you can do now is add some weight on the window bird feeder dish without use of bird food.

At this time we are only testing the strength of the window bird feeder bond with artificial weight - we're not going to test with bird food as birds can be attracted to it, while in turn becoming involved in a collapse.

What we will do is use anything else as a weight from inside the house, that can be used outdoors - so this weight can sit in the window bird feeder dish for up to a week.

In the meantime, you can attend the window bird feeder while inspecting it for any movement in its original position, while putting extra weight on it here and there with your hand.

If the window bird feeder - or indeed a corresponding window bird feeder hanger - is going to collapse, it would of done do long before all this interference.

I believe after a week of tests like this will guarantee a strong bond, thus bird seeds, nuts or dried mealworms can be added to begin attracting common backyard birds to the bird feeder stuck on your window.

Similarly, a window hummingbird feeder safety can be tested by filling up the bottle with plain tap water only - as to fill it with sugary water at the testing stage can only attract hummingbirds and other regular nectar feeding birds.

Avoid crashing into window

Now that we've established a window bird feeder can be safe providing you run some tests to be sure of no faults, what about the safety of birds.

Well, to be honest there is a danger of any birds crashing into your living room window, or anywhere else you may have a window bird feeder stuck on - thus to protect the birds you need to fortify the window.

Before you get up and running by filling the bird feeder dish with their favorite seeds, nuts, dried or live mealworms - including filling up a window hummingbird feeder with nectar - you'd need to stick tape on the window.

Birds can only see more yard through the reflection of your window thus are seen to crash into the window believing there's nothing there.

How birds can be prevented flying into your window is simply patching over the window with tape, sticky notes or bunting - basically anything colorful you can get your hands on too stick to a glass window on the outside.

And that is all you need, space out what you are using to create a grid-like pattern as to prevent birds believing there's a gap.

Now birds can fly to your window bird feeder in complete safety as its the only thing they are interested in, bird food.

Never attract birds to come to a window with bird food added on the window sill or if found in the window bird feeder dish - without putting in place colorful paper or tape stuck to the window, which would be surrounding the stuck to the glass, window bird feeder.

Conclusion

If window bird feeders weren't safe then they would not be so widely available, with official organizations advising against their use, such as Audubon.

Good news in window bird feeders are safe because the vacuum created in the suction cups create a really strong bond to a glass window. Bond on a Perspex or any plastic window I don't know, I can only advise with a glass window.

As a window bird feeder isn't often sold with many faults, a fault in the suction cup with a hole can cause a collapse as soon as weight as been added to the bird feeder tray.

Similarly a collapse is possible if you forget to at least clean off any obvious residue or debris stuck to the outside window - just where the window bird feeder suction cups are pressed up against.

To be sure of a strong bond on the window you can run some tests with the window bird feeder, without actually adding bird food, including homemade nectar at this time.

For up to a week run tests on a mounted to the glass window, window bird feeder by adding weight to it with anything other than bird food, while inspecting it everyday to see if there's been any movement.

Unlikely as it would as suction cups create a really tight bond when dampened or licked.

Finally, you'd want to avoid birds come crashing into the window as they arrive at the window bird feeder. To do that simply surround the area around the feeder in colorful tape or sticky notes on the outside window.

In doing so will let birds know there's an invisible glass panel there, and not more yard reflecting in the window.

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