Two more birds strike Sun bridge
Like many other glass structures in Baltimore and elsewhere, the Baltimore Sun's footbridge over Centre Street continues to be a fatal lure to migrating birds this autumn.
My guess is these birds may be flying into the bridge because it looks like an inviting place to roost. They simply can't see the glass.
This is an annual phenomenon. There are estimates that tens of millions - perhaps even hundreds of millions of birds die this way every year in the U.S. And based on past experience here at The Baltimore Sun, we can expect more than a dozen birds to die on the bridge in the coming weeks. Sun management has been asked
to look into ways to minimize the hazard.
In addition to the four birds that have already collided with the bridge's glass windows and died. two more were on the ledges this morning. One (above) appeared to be another yellow-bellied sapsucker. It was still breathing when this photo was taken Monday morning, but was evidently paralyzed by the strike.
UPDATE: At 6 p.m., when I left the building, this bird was still alive (right), sitting upright and peeping. But he had not moved from the spot where I found him in the morning.
UPDATE: AT 10 a.m. Tuesday, this bird was still alive. Another - a very small black and white bird - had apparently hit the opposite window overnight and remained on the ledge, alert but evidently unable to fly off.
UPDATE: At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, as I left the building, I noted that the first bird had expired. The second, the small B&W bird, had disappeared. Hopefully, it was merely stunned and after a nice rest, flew off.
UPDATE: Noon Wednesday. The Sun has ordered UV decals that we hope will reduce the mortality on the bridge. No new strikes today.
The other (below) was a small brown bird, some sort of sparrow, I would guess, and very dead. I'll let the birders out there venture a species identification.
(I also noticed a tiny skeleton, probably left over from last spring or autumn.)
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says window glass collisions are rapidly becoming a significant contributor to the overall decline in bird populations. Here's more information from FLAP.org.
Comments
Hi Frank,
If there is anyway to put something up on the glass (paper, plastic decals, etc.) that the birds can see, they'll likely avoid hitting the structure in the future. It's a simple step to save a lot of birds.
FR: Working on it...
Posted by: Dave Tucker | October 13, 2009 7:57 AM
This is a terrible problem Why doesn't someone buy the stick-on window shapes that birds see and consequently will not fly into the window glass. We did this at our home in Perry Hall on a very large picture window and it stopped the birds from flying into our window.
Posted by: Sharon | October 13, 2009 9:05 AM
Is there any way we can get to the birds?
FR: I'm afraid not. No access from inside the bridge. Windows don't open. Approach on the outside is through private property, over a busy street. Way too dangerous.
Posted by: Wendy | October 13, 2009 6:28 PM
One of the saddest things I saw last year was the body of a tiny golden-crowned kinglet, lying where it had fallen after colliding with a window. I had never seen one before and had no idea how exquisite they are - until I saw this one dead.
Posted by: Karen Heckert | October 13, 2009 7:52 PM
Frank,
Your first bird (the black-and-white-patterned one with red spots) is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
The second one looks like a Zonotrichia sp, possibly a White-throated Sparrow, but I can't tell. This is one of the most common window-strikes in Baltimore.
Tim
Posted by: Tim | October 13, 2009 9:00 PM