Did you know? A 2019 report shows that in just a span of roughly half a century, North America has already lost a staggering number of breeding birds. Three billion, to be exact. 

While that much loss is nothing short of astounding, it also emphasizes an important truth: If humans have done much to cause this tragedy, we could also do so much in helping reverse this rising trend. 

Don’t worry. You don’t need to be a scientist to do your part in saving the birds.

Let’s go over five very simple things you can do this fall season to help preserve birds and keep them from dying off. 

Help prevent birds from crashing on your window

Each year, around a billion birds die in just the US and Canada alone from crashing into glass windows. This is true in many parts of the world as well.

You’re probably wondering why they crash. This is because birds don’t realize that those windows are made of glass. All they see when they face glass windows are just a reflection of their habitat. Nothing else. The only time they come to a different realization is when they crash. 

So, here’s what you can do to help keep these incidents from killing these beautiful birds: Break up the reflection of your glass windows at home or in your office. You can install a screen right outside your window, or you can use film or paint for that matter. 

If it’s not possible to install either of those mentioned above, you can consider an alternative: strings. These strings need to be spaced around two inches high or four inches wide for these to work.

Keep your cats indoors as much as possible

Believe it or not, cats are also one of the major reasons why billions of birds die each year. When left outdoors, these predators can prey on unsuspecting birds even when they’re well-fed.

So if you own a cat, try to keep it indoors. Or if your pet cat has to go out, make sure to keep your eye out for any possible bird attacks. Better yet, place your cat on a leash so you can keep them under control when you have to.

Try not to use pesticides for your plants

Pesticides can disrupt the delicate balance that exists in nature by wiping out insects that are a source of food for birds. But that’s not the only effect that pesticides have on the bird population. You see, pesticides aren’t just fatal to insects, they’re lethal to birds as well.

But if you can’t avoid the use of pesticides, then try to reduce your usage of pesticides at home. That may not seem much, but it can pave the way to preserving the population of birds in the years to come.

Limit your usage of plastic

Each year, millions of animals are harmed by the millions of metric tons of plastic that pollute the Earth’s waters. And among the animals that fall victim to this waste are seagulls and albatrosses, who either mistake floating plastic as food or get themselves entangled in it.

You can do your part to keep this from happening by using eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives to plastic and by disposing of your plastic waste responsibly. 

Stock up on bird feed before winter comes

Sure, birds can feed themselves very well, especially when there’s plenty of food available. Unfortunately, food grows scarce as the weather turns cold, making it difficult for birds to get the right amount of nutrition they need to survive and reproduce.

So one of the best things you could do to help these birds make it through the coldest time of the year is by making sure you have premium bird feed on hand. Here are our bird feed brands we carry in store and highly recommend: Birds Luv'Em, Pine Tree Farms suet, and Aspen Song Premium.

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Do one of the 5 things listed above and help save our birds! Want to stock up on bird food? Grab a bag of premium bird feed from Martin’s Feed Mill today! Drop by our store at 534 Main St., Coburn PA, or call us at 814-349-8787 for more information.