HI Jean, This is territorial behavior: the cardinal is reacting to her reflection in the window as if it is an intruder that won't back down or leave. You can avoid it by hanging or putting something on the OUTSIDE of the window to break up or hide the reflection. Pulling down a blind inside does not work: the bird will still see her reflection on the outside.
You could cover the outside of the window completely with some fabric, but if you want to be able to see out cover it with garden netting or some other transparent material. You could stick vertical strips of tape across the window, or put transparent decals on it, tack long strips of paper from the frame if it's wood. These strategies also help avoid bird collisions with windows. For many other ideas see the Lab of Ornithology page about keeping birds safe from windows: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1184 Marie Marie Read Wildlife Photography 452 Ringwood Road Freeville NY 13068 USA Phone 607-539-6608 e-mail m...@cornell.edu http://www.marieread.com ***NEW*** Music of the Birds Vol 1 ebook for Apple iPad now available from iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/music-of-the-birds-v1/id529347014?mt=11 ________________________________________ From: bounce-112830113-5851...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-112830113-5851...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Jean Foley [jpfole...@yahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2014 9:36 AM To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Female cardinal attacking window A female cardinal has been continually attacking my bedroom window for several weeks. I've tried keeping a light on, and pulling the shades down to no avail. There is a large forsythia bush beneath the window which has been a male cardinal perch for years and an adjacent bridal wreath shrub has been a common nest site for a pair. What is this behavior and should I do anything about it. If so, what are some suggestions? Jean Foley Jacksonville/T-burg Sent from my iPhone -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --