Year of the Bird: Helping Birds Along the Way
This article was originally published by Pacific Birds
The natural challenges birds face along their migration routes are daunting enough. Add to this the man-made obstacles and it is sometimes a wonder that birds reach their destinations! Lights can attract birds and disorient them, while windows, towers and other structures pose direct collision risks.
September’s YOTB Call to Action is to help birds along the way by learning more about the hazards birds encounter during migration and how to mitigate them.
It is hard to get a figure on the number of birds killed annually by collisions with glass alone, but the estimates go as high as a billion. The American Bird Conservancy shows examples of different window treatments people can use in their homes, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Bird Treaty program has resources on window collisions and other hazards in urban environments.
As the following articles point out, there is a lot we can readily do to make the journey a little safer for birds.
Learn more
National Geographic: How Better Glass Can Save Hundreds of Millions of Birds a Year
National Audubon Society: Three Ways You Can Help Migrating Birds This Fall
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: The 9/11 Tribute in Light is Helping Us Learn About Bird Migration