You truly have a place where the wild things are. Also, I just saw the post with the goldfish pond photos--spectacular! I love visiting your blog and getting a respite from the either the fabric cube walls at work or the white walls of the the den.
Good luck with the the window treatment in discouraging the birds from flying into them. I remember growing up the pyracanthus (sp?) in our yard would attract birds and apparently the fermented berries would get the birds a little tipsy and they would glance off our windows.
I don't know if that was just myth about the fermented berries but I bought the story when I was a kid and never researched as an adult. No doubt one the readers of the blog will know the answer! 8-)
A bobcat, what part of the country do you live in. I am in the western part of WA. Sorry to hear about your Rufus. I finally realized why I have not had as many birds at my feeder this spring and that is all because of the very watchful eyes of the chickadee parents. Oh, I miss counted, there are 6 chicks! If the t.p. solution doesn't work, I have heard about hanging old cd's from fishing line in front of windows, something about the reflection. Good luck.
The paper looks like an effective solution for the window problem. I guess there are also special screens that can be suspended out enough from the windows to prevent lethal collisions. I know nothing about the cost and appearance but they might be worth checking into. For some reason, birds almost never hit our windows since I replaced the old ones. The glass in the new windows looks sort of black from outdoors and I suspect the birds find it a little spooky.
That's amazing about having the bobcat sitting around in your garden now. It's behaving pretty much like my neighbour's cats! Although having a bobcat hanging out in your garden could be interesting from an observation point of view, I'd probably be inclined to discourage it as it's probably stressing the other wildlife out a bit, and also, it may get the idea that it's okay to wander close to houses - a notion that could have negative consequences sometime in the future.
Great idea with the sheet. I wonder if strips of semi clear plastic or strips of screening might also work and not cut out some of your view from inside. As for the bobcat, I'm afraid I would shoo him off now while he's a youngster. I'm sure there is lots more territory around you for him to roam.
We do a lot of education and programming here at the museum regarding bird window strikes. There is another solution similar to yours. It's also cheap and effective but can be made to look a bit neater than the paper strips. There is an easily removable paint for windows. You have probably seen it before as holiday window decorations on windows of schools. You paint it into the same type of pattern that you created with the paper. It comes off with regular window cleaner.
Can't wait for the bobcat pix.
My solution is not to clean my windows. Saves time and energy, too.
This is definitely my respite blog as well. For our bird situation, I made screen curtains - just a length of screening that attaches to the top of the window and hangs there. So far it is working. The birds and I have a lot in common as I have walked into the glass door myself - duh on me. It will be interesting to hear how you resolve the bobcat thing.
"You TPed the house!" Love that quote. 
Sorry about the Rufous. 
I have a fair number of window strikes myself but they are all chickadees in the winter and they don't hit hard -- just a soft thud and they fly off as if nothing happened. Our front windows are more dangerous appearing but we have only had 1 lethal strike in 5 years. I think it's because of the plexiglass "storm" windows on the outside. We live at a golf course and a previous owner had them installed to protect the glass. They work great and I think they distort the reflection enough that the birds don't head for the window.
Wow. I love that you get the big cat, but I would probably be scaring it away, myself.
The biggest animal (besides deer) that I've ever seen on our property was a fat and sassy racoon, who had sauntered down a path made only that morning, and sat under the birdfeeder to scrabble up some seeds. Oh, he was a handsome one, perfect coat, with great muttonchops of fur on his jaws.
Hubby scared him away before I could get a camera out. dang! (we had alot of rabies going through the racoon population a few years ago, and racoons eat fish, so hubby won't have them in the yard)
There are paper cutouts of predator birds that I've seen - they fit with suction cups on the window, and keep birds from striking: Owls, crows, other birds - very effective.
As for the bobcat strolling through your lupins - I mean, how rude of that cat, eh? 
That little rascal - I knew he'd be back, sauntering around in your lupins. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos. And what an ingenious solution (at least in the short run) to the window strikes! When I first saw the photo, I thought it was t.p. until I read your words! I think it will work.
What a lovely view!
Yes, your little bobcat friend is only going to get bigger...
I suppose I would ordinarily be the last to discourage a bobcat, but Bev's point is a good one. Not everyone will be as delighted to have one up close, and perhaps it's a good idea for you as good parents to instill a sense of caution in the young and foolish. It's for their own good.
I like the window warnings (and like Egret's Nest, *really* laughed out loud at Roger's tp comment!)
Our experience with windows and birds has been odd. The very infrequent random smack, but then also a very persistent male cardinal who would bash himself literally bloody against the window. Two different situations there - true accidents, on the one hand, and then what must have been territorial attacks on a mirror image.
Linda J-- I've heard the same thing about pyracanthus berries. I've never checked it out, but I will.
HChristine-- We are on the Olympic Peninsula, just a few miles south of Port Townsend.
bev-- I've started checking a few products online that prevent window strikes. There are films and screens that look interesting.
PoP-- I actually don't mind the look of the strips of sheets. For some reason it reminds me of louvered shutters, especially when the wind blows them sideways. It's a nice look! I'll probably get tired of it though, and try something with more transparency.
Doug-- I may look for that product. With that and some stencils, I could make interesting designs. What I really would like is something that is invisible from the inside, but when the sun shines on it from the outside it shows up.
cervantes-- Now that's a solution I had not considered.
Peacechick mary-- Homemade screens is actually a very good idea. I'll check that one out as well. I like it.
LizaLee-- For some reason this year we are having a lot of strikes. It may be that there are just more birds. I was very disheartened to see the dead rufous, and it definitely spurred me to take action right away.
sbgypsy-- Raccoons are interesting critters. The raccoons we have here like to take their strolls through the yard at night. We have motion sensor lights, when they go on, I look out the window to see who is walking by. Almost every time it's been a raccoon. Last week, one time, it was the bobcat.
divajood-- I love the idea of putting something on the window that will completely break the reflection of the yard. A silhouette of a raptor sounds like it could work.
Sigrid-- This cat has been back twice since you saw it last week. It really does think the backyard is its home. That's not a good thing. He's very pretty though, and I don't mind him stopping by every now and then. But four times in a week is a bit much, and those are the times I've been aware of!
kathyr-- I'm so glad you like the view. Thank you. Yes, that bobcat is going to get bigger. I think he needs a little healthy respect for our boundaries.
Wayne-- Yes. Roger has an idea about how to set perimeter boundaries for this animal. We're going to write about it tomorrow. I am surprised by my response, because I like bobcats so much, but this one is very young and doesn't know to be afraid of humans yet. He picked a good place to learn, I guess.
I've read that there are 100 million birds lost to window strikes every year. That number just seems incredibly high, but even if it's 10% of that, that's just too much.
I remember Cindy of Woodsong blogging about the only thing that really works - www.birdscreen.com. I couldn't find her post, but did find a reference to it at Mike's (10,000 Birds):
Mike's (10,000 Birds). I plan to order this product when we work on the house this summer.
True about the pyracantha berries - we had an irruption of robins many years ago in the spring. One morning we went out to find hundreds of robins drunkenly flopping about on our front lawn - none of them were capable of flying - and nary a berry on the bushes.
I used bird of prey cutouts on the windows at student center...they worked well. though your sheets may do the trick and didn't cost you anything!
what about bonsai and that wild cat? I'd be concerned for bonni's safety.
enjoy da nature, kiddos!
pam-- I thought I had remembered that Cindy of Woodsong recommended a product. I'll head over to Mike's 10,000 Birds for the info. Thanks for the reminder. Funny about those robins and the Pyracanthus berries. I wonder what's in them that's so intoxicating to birds?
tdharma-- We are very concerned about Bonsai and the bobcat. This cat could kill Bonny with very little effort. We're not letting him outside these days.
Back when there was a World Trade Center, on September 8, 2001 as a matter of fact, The Attorney and I took the girls there to buy theater tickets. They had netting all around one side of the building, put there by the Audubon Society, to keep the migrating birds from striking the windows. We all stood there, read the sign about what the netting was for, and let out a collective, "AAAAAAAAAAAW"
Just tape the bobcat to your window sill.
Don't use Duck tape, it just attracts mallards and they make a huge mess when they hit the window.
I once read an amusing piece by Peg Elliot Mayo about how she and her partner dealt with a bobcat that had taken up residence under their porch (in Oregon). They asked a local what to do to permanently persuade the kitty to move on. The advice was, um, original. The upshot was they live trapped the bobcat, took him some distance from the house, and her partner (sorry folks, this is rude) emptied his bladder on the bobcat before they sprang the trap open. The cat was visibly disgusted and never returned to their place.
"TP-ing" was my first impression, too!
Many good ideas offered in response to this post.
As far as that bobcat is concerned, I guess it does need to be discouraged. At least it isn't a young balck bear, like the one that's been on the loose around the southwest Seattle area. I just ehard a blurb on the news my mom is watching. It's traveling a couple of miles a day, and they keep saying it looks like it's on some kind of mission. Poor thing; if I were it, I'd be heading for the hills and mountains, getting the heck out of town!
YT-- That's a very touching story. You were at the WTC on 9/8/01? I can't imagine what you must have felt on 9/11. Nice that they had netting. That must have been quite a big net!
FC-- OMG, you're idea is absolutely perfect. I went outside and called, "Here bobcat, here bobcat," but so far he's a no show. If he does show up, he's going to be put to work. We'll remember not to use the duck tape!
CCorax-- Interestingly, I've heard that story before. I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, we'll post about it here.
Isabelita-- Yes, I'd rather have a bobcat than a bear anyday. Somehow the bobcat seems manageable (although it real isn't), but a bear doesn't seem manageable at all.
it is crazy how many birds die from window crash's! But many of the birds that I find just get a little dizzy and need some loving care before they are well enough to fly away! Thanks for spreading the word on looking out for our birdies!
Robin, thanks for taking these actions to help prevent window strikes. That is the most common injury we get for small birds her in the clinic. The next is cat got.
I prevent birds from hitting our windows by not ever washing them. Umm, I'm pretty sure that's why I do that.
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