Acopian Bird Saver Workshop
Registration is limited – REGISTER HERE: https://www.simpletix.com/e/wild-nite-nature-activity-tickets-299277
Join Lights Out Northeast Florida for a hands-on Acopian Bird Saver Workshop, led by Mike Taylor, Curator of Birds, Herps and Others at Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens. In this relaxed, beginner-friendly session, participants will learn to build their own Acopian Bird Savers — simple, zen-inspired paracord curtains that are installed on the outside of windows to prevent deadly bird collisions right at home.
This workshop is modeled after a program developed by Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society in New York, first brought to Northeast Florida by Lights Out Northeast Florida — a regional partnership of Duval Audubon Society, Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens, and St. Johns Regional Audubon Society.
How It Works
Acopian Bird Savers use lengths of paracord strung vertically across a window frame, spaced about 4 inches apart, creating a soft, curtain-like visual break that birds can detect and avoid. The result is something between a wind chime and a minimalist outdoor installation — low-profile, unobtrusive, and kind of beautiful in its own way.
Participants will leave the workshop with a completed Bird Saver ready to install at home, plus the knowledge to build more for additional windows. No prior crafting experience needed — bring the glass measurements of your window to the workshop!
Why It Matters
Window collisions kill an estimated 1 billion birds in North America every year — and homes account for nearly half of those strikes, with studies estimating that 46% of bird-window collisions happen at residential buildings. Acopian Bird Savers are one of the most effective and affordable solutions available: materials cost just a few dollars per window, installation is simple, and the results are dramatic.
Acopian BirdSavers have earned a Threat Factor score of just 5 from the American Bird Conservancy’s rigorous testing program — far below the threshold of 30 that ABC uses to define a product as “bird-friendly.” The lower the score, the more effective the product at preventing collisions. A 5 is about as good as it gets.
At the University of Florida, Acopian Bird Savers installed on Newins-Ziegler Hall resulted in zero recorded bird deaths from window collisions — down from a building that had documented repeated strikes. Peer-reviewed research by Dr. Daniel Klem Jr. at Muhlenberg College confirms the results, finding Acopian BirdSavers up to 94% effective at preventing bird strikes. Acopian Bird Savers bring that same science home — saving birds one window at a time.
