Our little piece of land in the city has always been designated as “a bird friendly” bit of space.
That means birds are welcome to drop by for a visit, a long-term stay or even permanent residence in the trees that surround our property. There is considerable excitement when the first robins of the season appear, build nests, lay their eggs, and after getting to know us, sit close by to exchange looks and greetings and even a whistle or two.
Housemate has erected bird feeders for all seasons and protects those feeders from the squirrels that try to poach the seeds. In fact, he has invested in special seeds that don’t appeal to squirrels. The feeders bring us year-round joy as we watch the birds eating and getting sustenance for whatever journey or tasks they face on a particular day.
The bird bath in the back yard is a busy spot, with different kinds of birds being careful not to drink or bathe at the same time as birds of a different feather.
We are also diligent in encouraging wandering felines to stay away from our birds and if that means a swish from the garden hose, so be it. You can look from the alley but you’re not welcome around our birds, or flower beds.
Because of all our efforts to attract and enjoy birds, we expected most of them would treat us with reciprocating respect. That means, in my estimation, that their droppings should be dropped away from our vehicles, fences, sidewalks and doorsteps.
That, unfortunately, has not been the case this year. The droppings are dropping in disgusting amounts on my bright red vehicle. The metallic brightness of that vehicle bears the evidence of lively digestive systems of what must be very large birds, based on the size of what is left behind. So much for thinking because they eat like birds that they would have more sedate bowel movements.
I always thought it was an old wives tale that red vehicles are more attractive to birds for their droppings but now I know it is true based on my own experiences plus research that has been done into the subject of favoured colours for our feathered friends.
The red car attraction has been confirmed by Halfords, a car parts distributor in the United Kingdom, and by a Japanese company that for some reason does studies about car colors and bird poop.
Supposedly, because birds are attracted to ripe red fruits such as berries, they transfer that attraction to red cars, using their bird-brains to associate red cars with safe places to make their droppings.
In a study of more than 1,000 car owners, the following results were produced: red cars attracted 18 per cent of bird drops; with 14 per cent on blue; 11 per cent on black; seven per cent on white; three per cent on grey and silver; and only 1 per cent on green. Green, research showed, is less likely to be affected because green is what birds see most often as they fly over fields and land in trees. Green is the colour, pooping is the game — but on red only.
And it appears birds do not need to be stationary to do their business. They are adapt at dropping on the fly so that means red cars are not safe even zooming down a country road.
One item of interest is the recommendation to clean the droppings off the car as soon as possible to avoid damage to the paint’s patina. Housemate volunteered to use the garden hose to remove the droppings but complained that it was hard work to remove bird offerings. I thanked him for his efforts.
The next morning I examined the full extent of the damage and was appalled at how much there was still to remove. A pan of hot water, a rag and paper towels in hand I went at it, hoping there were no scheming birds in the trees, just waiting to make deposits on that moving object.
At least I wasn’t wearing my red blouse. That would have been a perfect target, just large enough for a fairly hefty deposit. I wonder how much it would cost to have my red car painted green?
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
