Ottawa boy's invisible invention warns birds about deadly windows

[Are_grits_groceries]

Eighth grader Charlie Sobcov wants to stop birds from dying in collisions with windows, but he doesn't want to ruin anybody's view.

For his latest school science fair project he has invented painted, plastic decals that can be placed — discreetly — right in the middle of a window pane.

"This paint is a colour that birds can see but humans can't," he said Wednesday on CBC Radio's All in a Day. "It's like putting a big stop sign in the middle of the window."

The colour is ultraviolet, beyond the range of colours visible to humans. That means the "stop sign" lets birds know the window is solid, but is nearly invisible to humans.
<snip>
He later read that about 500 million birds a year in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were dying as a result of crashing into windows. Many deadly bird collision are with the windows of skyscrapers along their migratory paths.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/21/ot-090121-bird-decals.html

Who knew?? Good on him!!

[JuniperLea]

1. Might be a good color to paint jet engines

Inside and out!

[Xipe Totec]

3. We need to paint the birds

They were tootling along at 30 knots, when they were rammed at 220 knots by a plane that did not see them.

Not to detract from the heroics of the pilot, but he did hit them, not the other way around...

[JuniperLea]

10. Maybe a device...

somewhat like a fish finder is in order?

[Xipe Totec]

2. Awesome!

Pattent that idea!

I'll gladly pay for those decals.

[SheilaT]

4. What a cool idea.

But 500 million birds a year sounds like a lot. Wouldn't that tend to produce large piles of dead birds in front of skyscrapers?

[kenny blankenship]

6. Did you ever walk around the base of the World Trade Center Towers?

Bushels of them. And those grounds were tended regularly too.

[SheilaT]

14. Well, I was only there once.

So not seeing them, if you assure me that there are normally bushels of them only means I passed by right after they'd been picked up, or at a time of year when they weren't flying into the Towers.

[progdonkey]

5. well, someone's retirement is fully paid for... ;-)

Hope I have a kid like that some day. :party:

[Jokerman]

7. I'd buy that.

We have a big picture window facing some trees and I can't tell you how many birds have ended their lives by slamming into the glass.

[midnight]

8. Science is so important. Mix it with creativeness and wow.

[malaise]

9. How cool

Still this wouldn't have helped my room-mate decades ago - she walked right through the glass door.

[Holly_Hobby]

11. How do they know what birds can see and what they can't see? n/t

[no limit]

16. Science, it's a beautiful thing ;)

[RC]

12. Obama is President only a few days ands already science is making a come back.

[chollybocker]

13. The kid's from OTTAWA. He's a schill for rogue Canadian geese.

Great invention.

[darkstar]

15. I was the shadow of the waxwing slain

By the false azure of the windowpane