government should confiscate all windows in the city. They kill birds!

I saw three dead birds this week, and only one was near a window. Hmmm...

They were a bird the size of about the size of a woman's hand with greenish grey feathers and I think a white breast.

Hello,

Some months ago (November 2005), I posted info on the results of my research on the night migration of birds as seen from the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building in spring 2004, and autumn 2004 and autumn 2005. If you want the scientific and popular articles that have been published so far, just email me (rdcny@eartlink.net). My Nov. 2005 comments can be found here:

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2005/09/20/skyscrapers_go_down_for_birds.php

Just a few follow-up comments now: people, and often the folks at NYC Audubon, mix the problem of birds colliding with glass at or near ground level during the day (which can heppen frequently at certain buildings in NYC), with the isue of birds being attracted to light at night, and then possibly (occasionally?) colliding with buildings at night while migrating. These are two very, very different issues.

Looking at the data, I think NYC Audubon is on the right track when it comes to the dangers that certain (mostly) glass buildings pose to migrating birds, particularly in autumn. The best current example is the Morgan Mail facility which seems to be directly responsible for the deaths of between 250-750 birds/year (from 2004-2006), it seems because that building is located opposite a small park. During the day, for whatever reasons, birds fly out from the park toward the building because (we believe), the windows reflect trees, the sky or some combination of the above. The birds have a distance to fly and build up some speed, and then smack into the windows and die. This situation is likely played out at different buildings in Manhattan and throughout North America. So when one adds up the numbers, the death toll might be considerable. I also think that the recent addition of Dr. Dan Klem Jr. to the research team at NYC Audubon looking into this problem is excellent, since Dan is a down to earth man of reason and good will. He has also been studying the birds colliding with glass issue for many, many years now.

On the other hand, NYC Aud. has very little credibility in the area of building lights in Gotham posing significant hazards to migrating birds at night. NYC Audubon folks have done a very poor job of making accurate information available to their membership and the public. Their statements to the press have often been incorrect. (For example, the executive director once said, "It is a fact that all birds are attracted to light.") They have also been unwilling to provide their readers (of the NYC Audubon Newsletter) with articles attempting to provide a more in-depth analysis of what is happening at night at the elevation that most birds migrate at (1000-2500 feet), and the very minor mortality rate of night migrants compared to the number of birds killed at windows during the day. Until NYC Audubon officials start behaving as responsible leaders rather than advocates for birds, no one should take seriously what they say in press releases or in other pronouncements to the media.

If anyone wishes to read a full discussion of the issue of night migrating birds occasionally colliding with buildings in NYC here at night, just email me and I will be happy to send info from my current (and historical) research on this subject. Bottom line: there are so many more positive things hapening at night to see (such as a thousand birds per hour on certain nights passing the Empire State Building with no problem whatsoever), it is a shame that NYC Audubon officials continue to focus on what they "think" is happening at night above the buildings of NYC.

Robert DeCandido, PhD

rdcny@earthlink.net

And in the "RTFA" category, which I did not do before posting above: 3 dead birds makes a trend, eh? Sad, but that's a low-rise building with no significant lighting display. So what can we do, really, to prevent that? Other than go back to living in caves...

They also cite 1 Liberty Plaza as a site of many injured/dead bird findings. For the record, that building is completely black, clad in anodized metal with no nighttime lighting. It's actually quite ugly. If I were a bird I'd stay away.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianvan/42683189/

Again, this is why the elimination of architectural lighting for the sake of birds seems insane. There is little correlation to lighting reduction vs. preventable bird deaths. It seems we're at fault for just having tall buildings in the first place. There's hardly a sensible correlation between building height and bird deaths in the first place, if a 5 story post office is a significant bird killer. You know, all three of them.

Time to beat on this topic once again:

The Audobon Society has a noble goal, but they're very misguided and overreaching in their efforts. They have no idea what really kills birds. And not many of them are dying anyway. So once again, I call "bullshit" on them and will continue to ascribe the problem to the keyboards of the Audobon Society's extremely active PR department. Because the only dead birds I see are in their copious press releases.