Making Windows Bird Safe with Iris Haeussler and Victoria Taylor

• Event DateNovember 10, 2024
• Time2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• TypeIn-Person
• LocationCounty Arts Lab, Main Street West, Picton, ON

In Prince Edward County you don’t have to go far to connect with nature. The County’s rural south shore has more than 4,000 acres that provide a year-round home for many local bird species, and for many more species, it is a stopping point along their spring and fall migration route.

What many of us might not know is that in Canada alone we lose about 25 million birds each year to glass collisions. With more development planned for the County in the coming years, the possibility of bird collisions will rise. As we design our neighbourhoods with greenspaces— bringing nature home into our backyards and local parks – we need to make our County windows bird-safe for these fascinating, yet fragile creatures.

At first light, when daytime migrants are most active, birds will fly towards window glass that reflects the sky or nearby trees or shrubs. Mistaking these reflections for habitat, they collide with the glass, resulting in injury or death. These collisions contribute to bird biodiversity loss. How can you advocate to change the building code and municipal bylaws to ensure bird safe windows? How can you make a change at your very own residence?

In this workshop, taught by local landscape architect Victoria Taylor and international artist Iris Häussler, you will learn how to encourage birds into your backyard in ways other than a bird feeder. You will learn how to design and create beautiful, effective decorative patterns on glass that can prevent bird collisions with windows and glass railings.

We will start with a walk to photograph/sketch in Picton’s Delhi Park, looking for exemplary bird-friendly habitats along the park’s Marsh Creek. For our bird - safe window decorations we will draw inspiration from our walk - the different leaf foliage and tree bark, ornamental and fractal patterns of light, other shapes in nature, Art Nouveau, etc. with a focus on visualizing your own ideas!

What You Will Learn:
● Learn how glass reflections of buildings in the urban-and rural environment pose a threat to migrating birds and what we can do to help hinder this.
● Learn more about areas of bird habitat in Delhi Park, Picton’s green heart and the County’s largest urban greenspace
● Design and apply decorative, durable vinyl patterns for making windows bird-safe
● Explore ways to treat windows temporarily using oil sharpies and wax-crayons
● Learn about handwriting or calligraphy with oil sharpies on glass-surfaces
● Learn about DIY designs using burlap-string or, fabrics applied to the outside of windows, and wax crayons

Sliding Scale $30-$60 for 3 hour workshop plus materials fee

Image by Iris Haeussler

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