Walls of glass are not good for the birds

THERE have been some memorable builds on the ‘Grand Designs’ television programme in recent weeks, and we’ve enjoyed watching all the different styles and techniques used in the constructing of all these amazing homes.

However, last night’s offering has prompted me to write this letter. There seems to be a fashion for enormous amounts of glass in modern buildings, sometimes whole walls without blinds or curtains, which are intended to give the inhabitants a feel of space and closeness to nature – in fact, last night’s occupant felt as though he was ‘living in the forest’ because his massive reflective windows reaching from floor to ceiling all along the frontage of the house actually reflected the natural world and woodland around the building.

The problem is that while the occupants of the house feel that their home is part of the natural scene, so do the birds, particularly when the glass reflects the trees. So owls, songbirds, hawks and all sorts of other birds will fly straight into these huge sheets of glass and break their necks, thinking they are flying into the trees reflected.

It’s a dangerous architectural trend that seems very fashionable at the moment – so please, when you are planning your own ‘Grand Design’ home, remember the birds, and make sure your glass walls and windows are safe for them.

Greg Martin Crediton, Devon