Little attention for the issue of birds flying to their deaths against padel court glass

ARTICLE

MARKET & CURRENT AFFAIRS

Wijnand Meijboom, Wednesday 30 April 2025

177 sec

Concrete figures lacking: willingness to take measures varies greatly within the sector

In the Netherlands, many birds die due to collisions with padel court glass. This is unfortunate, as solutions are available.

Exactly how many birds die each year due to collisions is difficult to quantify, as no concrete figures are available in the Netherlands. Timo Roeke, senior bird protection officer at Vogelbescherming Nederland, knows that the numbers are substantial. 'We are researching this, for example by translating figures from America to the situation here. In America, you are talking about millions of birds dying from glass collisions. It's a significant issue.'

'A collision with glass often means immediate death for birds.'

Although Vogelbescherming does not maintain exact statistics on window collisions, the organization frequently receives emails from tennis and padel clubs that find dead birds near their padel courts, Roeke states. 'Padel courts are often located near parks, forests, or on city outskirts, precisely where birds are abundant. Birds, like humans, cannot see glass. A collision with glass often means immediate death. Birds that seem to recover and fly away after a collision often die later due to internal injuries.'

White dots

Vogelbescherming is actively addressing the issue and, together with large project developers, is testing a special film for new buildings' windows. Roeke: 'Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. This film has patterns of stripes and dots visible to birds, preventing them from flying into the glass.' This solution is too expensive for sports clubs, but they could choose Feather Friendly film from Canada, according to Roeke. 'Consumers are not yet very enthusiastic about the white dots on this film, but it's very suitable for padel courts. Traditional bird-of-prey stickers don't work optimally.' Another effective solution is placing nets in front of the glass. This method is already used in Spain. There, animal activists went to court to highlight the issue of bird collisions at padel courts, citing a new animal welfare law.

'The number of padel courts has significantly increased. This adds up regarding bird collisions.'

Roeke explains that 'local birds' eventually become familiar with their surroundings, but smaller migrating birds are particularly vulnerable during spring and autumn. Young birds, newly born each spring, unfamiliar with their environment, also frequently fall victim. Species like blackcaps, woodcocks, robins, thrushes, and great tits are commonly affected. 'The number of padel courts has significantly increased. Altogether, this considerably contributes to bird collisions.'

Roeke also notes artificial lighting can be devastating for birds and other wildlife. According to him, some clubs keep their lighting on all night to draw attention to their padel courts. 'The light reflects off the glass, essentially creating large mirrors. It's unwise to leave these lights on simply to attract attention. Birds also need night-time darkness to rest.'

Not a major issue

Edward van der Meijden speaks on behalf of the Dutch Association of Padel Court Builders (VPN). He states that birds colliding with padel court glass is not considered a major issue among association members. 'I've checked with the board; we're hardly confronted with this at all.' However, he warns against using stickers or films to warn birds. 'We advise never placing stickers on the glass. If the glass breaks, it must be able to safely shatter. Applying films to protect birds is thus also not advisable, as it prevents safe shattering.'

Sjef Potjes from Tennisbouw Nederland occasionally sees dead birds lying on the ground near padel courts. 'Certainly, not many, and oddly enough it mainly happens right after a court is newly installed. After some time, it rarely happens again. It might also be that birds mistake the blue floor for water.'

Alex Turksema, project manager at JUBO Padel, a company that has built over 7000 padel courts worldwide, expresses surprise that bird collisions at padel courts receive so little attention in the Netherlands, especially given the large community of birdwatchers. 'It truly is an issue. For instance, once in rural Austria, I found ten dead sparrows at a single padel court. Glass manufacturers, notably from France, increasingly inquire about bird-friendly glass. In parts of Germany, such as Hamburg and Hessen, using this type of glass for padel courts is already mandatory. The issue is more prominent there, and I expect it will eventually spread throughout Europe.'

Bird-friendly glass

In the Netherlands, Turksema's company already uses bird-friendly glass in a padel project at Tennispark Nieuw Marlot. 'It's near a nature reserve, and the client specifically requested it,' says Turksema. His company doesn't use this glass as standard but only on request. 'It's about 800 euros more expensive, and delivery times may be slightly longer, but it does prevent birds from flying into it.' Bird-friendly glass has tiny white dots engraved, almost invisible to humans but clearly visible to birds. 'Never place stickers on standard safety glass, as this prevents it from breaking into small, safe pieces, which can be extremely dangerous.'

Noise nuisance and light pollution

The risk of bird collisions remains at padel courts without bird-friendly glass. Although difficult to quantify precisely, it is certainly an issue. Turksema emphasizes that noise nuisance and light pollution are more pressing problems around padel courts. 'Especially in Belgium and England, these issues are prominent. In the Netherlands, less so, due to increasingly common noise reduction measures.'

This article was previously published on 30 April 2025 on the Fieldmanager website.

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