Madison woman helps SOS wrap up its year without a bang

Birds steer clear of windows after Sally fixes problem home windows and helps others do the same

Sally R stands in front of the window she treated with Feather Friendly deterrent markers to keep birds from colliding with her front windows. She holds extra window treatments she is donating to the Dane County Humane Society, which is also treating problem windows. Photo: Lisa Gaumnitz

A deadly thud at her window and chance encounter with SOS Save Our Songbirds sparked Sally R on a mission to prevent more birds flying into her home windows and helping others do the same in Madison.

A self-described nature-lover, Sally was attending a Luncheon Lecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum on declining bird populations nationwide and stopped by SOS’s table SOS outside the lecture hall.   

“I told you that, just that morning, a cedar waxwing had collided head-on with my front window and died horrifically. You gave me some information about SOS, bird window collisions, and a FREE box of window tape,” Sally recalls.

“I was so struck by the realization that there were things I could do, easily, to save birds from that same gruesome fate. I went home, put up the decal tape (not really very well), went to Wild Birds Unlimited and bought a bunch of UV decals, and tried to fix all my windows that could be a problem. Those things definitely helped, if not perfectly. And they looked pretty messy and were hard to clean around.”

That was just the beginning for Sally.

She started to volunteer for Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Bird Collision Corps, checking participating buildings early in the morning during bird migration to look for birds that have hit windows. Businesses and public institutions voluntarily agree to host the BCC volunteers to survey their windows and see which are a problem for birds. Sally signed up to survey buildings at Henry Vilas Zoo and this fall added sites at University Research Park.

“Every week I pray that I won’t find any victims (at the sites she monitors). And although there haven’t been many, each bird death grieves me.

Seeing the Feather Friendly treatment on the Carousel house windows at the zoo brought me such joy, just knowing that many birds would be saved from death and injury.”  

SOS and Feather Friendly Technologies donated window treatments for the carousel building in late summer 2024, with the zoo hiring a contractor to install the materials and educational signage on the treated windows.

“I was struck by how unobtrusive the window treatment really is. The signage explaining the dots to zoo visitors is simple and to-the-point.”

This and other educational signs at the carousel building at Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison raises awareness of the serious threat windows pose to birds and solutions to help treat problem windows. Photo: Lisa Gaumnitz

This summer, Sally decided to re-do the treatments on her problem windows with the same material the zoo had used on the carousel building, Feather Friendly’s medium scale markers that allow more rows of dots to be applied at the same time.   

She applied the dots herself, following directions. “It looks neat from the outside and is rather invisible from inside. It will last about 20 years and tolerate window-washing. And I feel a deep sense of satisfaction knowing I’m doing all I can for birds.”

Sally gave leftover window treatment material to Dane County Humane Society in Madison, which has had BCC volunteers monitoring its windows and has been treating problem windows.     

She’s happy to report the window treatments are making a big difference around her home.

“I’ve had no window collisions this migration season, not even a sideways bump. Birds seem to really notice the pattern about 1 to 2 feet from the windows—then they quickly veer off.”

Now she’s an evangelizer for the window treatment and a promoter of SOS. “I can see in my own neighborhood how SOS’s outreach and persistence is making a real difference for the birds we love.” 

“If it hadn’t been for your tabling event at the Arboretum that day, I would still be pretty ignorant about the dangers birds face from windows. And I wouldn’t know about Feather Friendly products, their relative ease of application, and their neat appearance.

I’m sure I’m just one example of the many nature lovers inspired by SOS to do better for birds!”