Volunteers Needed for Bird Window Strike Project!
Help needed for senior project looking at bird window strikes across campus!
Background
Birds are very important to us as a people, they bring us money, create jobs, and they’re beautiful. But they’re also very important to the environment. They give us early warning signs of pollution and toxins, they eat plenty of insects, help pollinate plants, prevent diseases, and keep rats and mosquitos in check. While some birds do stay during the winter season, most birds migrate. They do this because there is competition for resources during the winter season, causing them to head to warmer climates looking for nesting sites and food, they do this in hopes of supporting their offspring. Resources they need to make this journey include food and water, safe nesting/shelter, and rest. There are many things that can influence a change in a bird’s migratory path including environmental change, changing weather, habitat loss, hunting, and collisions. When birds collide with buildings they usually die, it’s very rare that they survive, 14% of birds are left stunned or incapacitated, and of those 14%, 70% of them die (Klem et al. 2024).
What to do if you see a bird strike or a dead bird on campus this fall:
Modesto is looking into which buildings have the highest rate of bird mortality.
If you see anything, please contact modesto.fontanez@purchase.edu. Please do not attempt to pick up or move the bird yourself.
For anyone looking to help with actual data collection:
Modesto is looking for 2 volunteers who would survey specific buildings (The Hub, Student Services, all of Alumni Village, and Wayback) once a week, with one volunteer on Tuesday and another on Thursday. These volunteers would walk around the entire perimeter of the buildings, starting at whatever building they choose, scanning for any dead birds, paying extra close attention to bushes if they are within 10 feet of a window on the building. On average it takes about an hour to complete, starting from 9am and ending surveying around 10am. There is also a survey123 form that must be filled out if birds are found with further instructions found there. Volunteers are welcome to email Modesto at modesto.fontanez@purchase.edu with questions and to set up a training session.