Birds and Sliding Glass Doors

[rich126]

When came home Saturday to see a landscaper clean out broken glass from the outer pane of a double panel large (roughly 40x85") sliding door glass. They said a very large bird hit it and broke it. Unfortunately we don't have any cameras out back but I don't buy that at all. I've had windows hit by birds before and none broken any glass windows. Friends around here also don't think it is likely.

Just curious whether anyone has had a window broken by a bird? Unfortunately fixing it is going to run about $1,500 which is painful since it wasn't our fault.

[Doctor Rhythm]

Sorry to hear that, and can certainly understand the paranoia. For what it's worth, here are some videos:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MyLjwmwuQ8M
https://www.newsflare.com/video/640294/ ... r-on-owner

[Atlantic_ave]

I myself broke a large glass door pan with a string trimmer that hit a rock

[tibbitts]

I myself broke a large glass door pan with a string trimmer that hit a rock

I wonder if the rock broke the glass partly due to having a sharper-than-a-bird-body edge/point. What did the rock look like? I assume that being a door this was tempered glass?

[Teague]

In the past 20 years here a string trimmer has shattered one car side window and one outbuilding window. A handful of bird strikes have broken no windows. My car windshield hitting a bird at 60+ MPH sounded like I ran into a baseball or similar, but caused no damage.

Unfortunately you have apparently no way to refute the gardener's claim, because it's not completely impossible.

[ehh]

I get an occasional bird strike on a window. Nothing larger than a Robin and no broken glass. Amazingly the bird usually survives - sometimes just flies off, sometimes is stunned for a few minutes before it flies off.

Absent blood, feathers, or a bird carcass I would not believe the landscaper's story. A string trimmer and a rock is the obvious explanation.

[popoki]

A neighbor's landscaper using a high powered gas string trimmer vertically next to the curb line threw a rock and broke our vehicle's rear window parked about 20 feet away. He came over and admitted to it, although I also had it on video. No way a bird can break a sliding glass door pane.

[cheesepep]

I had a bird fly into our relatively large window before. Luckily, it was unfazed and left. I then promptly placed three strips of paper on the window to let birds know that there is something physical blocking their way.

[livesoft]

We had a car window broken by a flying rock from a road crew using a string trimmer. Our car just happened to be driving by when the rock took off.

[Teague]

OP said "they" referring to landscaper(s) so a big problem is that the landscapers, if plural, will back each others' stories but the OP has no equivalent witness.

In fact, I'd imagine the gardeners would aver that this bird was well known to the local professional landscape community (its name was Melvin, R.I.P.) and had been acting out of sorts lately, as if it were depressed. This bird had recently been seen being teased by its peers due to being obese (they did say it was a BIG bird possessing sufficient mass to break a glass door) and crashed into the portal in a final act of desperation.

Failing in the attempt it staggered off, possibly overheard muttering that it couldn't do *anything* right, and has neither been seen nor heard from since. The well meaning compassionate gardener(s) were left to, literally, pick up the pieces. A reward of some sort (cash would do nicely) is undoubtedly in order.

[lthenderson]

When came home Saturday to see a landscaper clean out broken glass from the outer pane of a double panel large (roughly 40x85") sliding door glass. They said a very large bird hit it and broke it.

At that time, I would have casually asked what they had done with the bird. But that time has passed and my guess is that they would say the "bird" was just stunned and eventually flew off. This is one of those cases of how much you value your landscaper now that you suspect their honesty might be questionable.

Going forth, they do make stickers in the form of small dots and even in the shape of birds and other things to adhere to the inside of any window that breaks up the reflections for birds and reduces the chances of impacts by over 90%. You could get those and apply on the replacement to prevent future bird impacts whenever your landscaper is around.

[rich126]

When came home Saturday to see a landscaper clean out broken glass from the outer pane of a double panel large (roughly 40x85") sliding door glass. They said a very large bird hit it and broke it.

At that time, I would have casually asked what they had done with the bird. But that time has passed and my guess is that they would say the "bird" was just stunned and eventually flew off. This is one of those cases of how much you value your landscaper now that you suspect their honesty might be questionable.

Going forth, they do make stickers in the form of small dots and even in the shape of birds and other things to adhere to the inside of any window that breaks up the reflections for birds and reduces the chances of impacts by over 90%. You could get those and apply on the replacement to prevent future bird impacts whenever your landscaper is around.

Unfortunately this is the second time I've had issues with a landscape person. About 15 years ago I came home (Scottsdale) and took one step in my computer room and heard/felt that squish sound of wet carpet. The yard person decided to water some flowers by the front window well and didn't turn off the water and it flooded the front 2 bedrooms. I called him and at first he denied it but then I got a call back and he admitted it and his insurance handled it. I think his wife convinced him to call. In that case after it was done I got rid of him.

Yeah, this person won't be around long. Most of the quotes are $1200-$1500 to replace the glass.

[livesoft]

BBC photo winner of birds and windows that is appropriate to view in this thread:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4d92n5p4do

[windaar]

I offer this as a former (long time ago) landscape worker and an avid birdwatcher and birdfeeder. No bird broke the thick pane of your sliding glass door when a landscape guy just happened to be there. My problem would be not the damage, but the dishonesty. What other things is he dishonest about as a business person? His crew should be trained better and he should absorb such a repair expense as a cost of doing business. I'd fire him immediately.

[Sagefemme]

When birds strike windows hard there is almost always evidence in the form of feathers stuck to the window or a bunch of feathers near the window. I cannot imagine a bird could break a sliding door. It's probably too late, but if you had the trash bag full of broken glass and picked through it you might find the piece showing where a rock from a string trimmer hit the window. The idea that the guy wouldn't show you the dead bird (pterodactyl, more likely, if big enough to break a sliding glass door) as evidence is support for the fact that he's probably lying. Any video surveillance around?

[Dregob]

When came home Saturday to see a landscaper clean out broken glass from the outer pane of a double panel large (roughly 40x85") sliding door glass. They said a very large bird hit it and broke it. Unfortunately we don't have any cameras out back but I don't buy that at all. I've had windows hit by birds before and none broken any glass windows. Friends around here also don't think it is likely.

Just curious whether anyone has had a window broken by a bird? Unfortunately fixing it is going to run about $1,500 which is painful since it wasn't our fault.

There should be a dead bird nearby if it was indeed a bird strike that broke the glass.

[Doctor Rhythm]

There should be a dead bird nearby if it was indeed a bird strike that broke the glass.

Not necessarily. Bird might be trading war stories with the raccoon that took out a car at 55 mph in this thread.

[Dregob]

There should be a dead bird nearby if it was indeed a bird strike that broke the glass.

Not necessarily. Bird might be trading war stories with the raccoon that took out a car at 55 mph in this thread.

Good one!

[Atlantic_ave]

I myself broke a large glass door pan with a string trimmer that hit a rock

I wonder if the rock broke the glass partly due to having a sharper-than-a-bird-body edge/point. What did the rock look like? I assume that being a door this was tempered glass?

yeah it was tempered glass. The rock was just a regular tiny rock. The positive point with a door is that it was easy for me to bring it to the shop for measurement, bring it back home, then again at the shop the following week for placing the glass. Way cheaper than having someone come on location.
Where I live now, i have a roof deck with tempered glass all around, and i find dead birds maybe one or twice a year, after they fly at top speed in the pans. I don't think a bird can really break a glass pan like that.