Dead birds signal arrival of autumn
We've passed the autumnal equinox, and the Harvest Moon. And now the last sure sign of autumn has landed, literally, on our doorstep. Dead birds.
Each fall, Baltimore Sun employees who park on the garage in the 600 block of North Calvert Street must walk through a glass-and-steel Valley of Death. Birds - migrating birds I would guess - seem to have a fatal penchant for flying into the glass windows of the enclosed footbridge that crosses Centre Street between the garage and the Sun offices in the 500 block of North Calvert.
As the season wears on, the fluffy little bodies pile up and decompose (mostly) along the ledges on both sides of the bridge. The carnage provides a sad, some might say ghastly accounting of the species that fly through Baltimore each fall on their way south.
In years past I've counted a dozen or more on the ledges of the bridge before the maintenance crew arrives to scoop them up. I'm not birder enough to identify all of them. But one of the first to show up this month appears to be a northern flicker (above).
CORRECTION: I'm told this is a yellow-bellied sapsucker, not a flicker. Thanks to all the bird watchers who set me right.
It's not entirely clear why birds crash into glass. It seems likely they simply don't see it. There is nothing in their experience, or evolution, that would prepare them for something solid that they can see through. Or, they see only reflections of sky and clouds and trees that would seem to pose no threat. So, they try to fly through the bridge, with fatal results.
Why this carnage seems to peak in the autumn would seem to be a function of migration. There are thousands of birds passing through the city at this time of year. They're all in a hurry for a quick meal and a fast flight out of town. There are lots of them, and they're all in a hurry. The results aren't pretty.
(SUN PHOTOS/Frank D. Roylance)
Comments
This is a good article to bring awareness to the problem of birds flying into windows during migration.
Although, your photo is actually a dead yellow-bellied sapsucker, not a northern flicker.
Maybe you could put Colliiscape over the windows:
http://www.flap.org/film.htm
FR: A good idea, no doubt. But not somethbing the paper is likely to spend money on these days.
Posted by: Birdchick | October 6, 2009 2:40 PM
Frank:
Your dead bird is a yellow-bellied sapsucker, not a flicker. It is indeed a migrant from up north.
FR: Thanks. Like I said, I'm no birder. I stand corrected.
Posted by: jb | October 6, 2009 2:50 PM
In Italy they use plexi barriers by the road but put bird silhouettes on them to deter this type of occurrane. Perhaps this would be a solution?
Posted by: Chiara | October 6, 2009 2:59 PM
A friend who is an ornithologist posted this article on Facebook. She also suggested that you "wrap" the windows similar to the way a bus is wrapped in advertising. The people inside could still see out, the birds would see that there is an obstruction and you might even make some money if you sold the advertising (or advertise your own paper). Win/win/win.
FR: Thanks for the idea. Will pass it on to the publisher.
Posted by: Renee Hetter | October 6, 2009 7:15 PM
Hi Frank,
Between glass and cats our fine feathered friends are helpless victims. I too work in a building with a tremendous amount of glass and I see beautiful dead birds as I come into the building. Alas.
Linda
Posted by: Linda M. Tanton | October 7, 2009 12:17 PM
Avian glass collisions is a tremendous worldwide problem. Researcher Daniel Klem estimates that 100 million birds are killed annually in the US alone. As others have noted, there are things that can be done to improve the situation, but there has to be a will to have it done. When notice sites with frequent dead birds, let the building managers know you are not happy about the situation.
Posted by: Joan | October 8, 2009 12:48 PM
Joan is right on - If you work at a building where this is happening or you buy a window and it kills birds, complain about it to the manufacturer (unhappy customers create a demand for solutions) or to the building owner/manager.
Check out this beautiful Chicago skyscraper that was built "bird friendly":
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6c59b4fa-9821-11de-8d3d-00144feabdc0.html
more photos here: http://www.studiogang.net/projects_e1.htm
Posted by: Wendy | October 8, 2009 10:37 PM
This is such an easy fix, I'm surprised that the Sun hasn't done anything to correct it.
ABC (American Bird Conservancy) in Washington DC has a Bird Collisions Campaign Manager. I've alerted her to the problem.
Frank, thanks for bringing this correctable issue to light.
Best,
Dan
FR: The Sun has ordered UV-reflective decals for the bridge. I will continue to monitor.
Posted by: Dan Haas | October 16, 2009 11:18 AM
I work at the Sun, and have followed the skywalk death toll for years.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers seem to be the most common victims. But I've identified pigeons, catbirds, cuckoos, finches, sparrows, starlings, a purple finch, a truly gorgeous female rufous-sided towhee, two golden-crowned kinglets, and even, if I remember correctly, an olive warbler.
I think part of the problem is that the surface becomes reflective in the morning and evening, when the sun is low in the east or west, and the bird sees the reflection of the adjacent Ginkgo trees and thinks it's the real thing.
I don't know if reflective decals will help with this. I hope they do.
Posted by: JoAnne | October 19, 2009 7:22 PM
Great news out of Toronto:
NEWS RELEASE: Toronto Becomes World's First City to Mandate Bird-Friendly Buildings
Beginning January 31, 2010, all new proposed low-rise non-residential, mid to high rise residential and industrial, commercial and institutional development will be required under Tier 1:
GLASS AND OTHER DESIGN FEATURES FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS: Ensure that design features minimize the risk for migratory bird collisions.
• Treat glass with a density pattern between 10-28cm apart for a minimum of the first 10-12m of a building above grade
OR
Mute reflections for a minimum of the first 10-12m of a building above grade
• Ensure ground level ventilation grates have a porosity of less than 2cm X 2cm
• Where a green roof is constructed that is adjacent to glass surfaces; ensure that the glass is treated to a height of at least 12m above the level of the green roof to prevent potentially fatal window collisions.
LIGHT POLLUTION: Reduce nighttime glare and light trespass from the building and the site.
• No up-lighting from exterior light fixtures unless otherwise permitted through a Heritage designation
• Install exterior light fixtures that are shielded to prevent Glare and/or Light Trespass onto any neighbouring properties.
Posted by: For the birds | October 28, 2009 5:55 PM