Audubon will track birds killed in crashes
Volunteers will look for carcasses of birds that struck buildings or lights Wildlife conservationists suspect that thousands of birds are being killed each year in crashes with downtown high-rises and they want to know why.
Starting this month, the Audubon Society of Portland
will send out a cadre of volunteers to patrol sidewalks and alleyways,
counting and collecting the carcasses of birds that may have become
disoriented during the night, smashed into windows or lights and fallen
to the pavement.
"We want to get the science under us before
we say for sure that there's a problem," said Bob Sallinger,
conservation director for Audubon. "At the end of the day, we want to
make sure the landscape is suitable for our avian populations." 
A golden-crowned kinglet was killed when it smashed into a window in Portland.Ornithologists
have been tracking window strikes since the 1970s and think that some
birds mistake windows for open skies or fly-through routes. Or the
birds may see the shining surfaces as waterways. They also may get
confused by glass reflections of wooded areas and clouds.
At
night, scientists say, some species -- mostly migrating birds, such as
finches, songbirds and warblers -- are drawn to the bright lights of
tall buildings and lose track of natural navigation aids, such as the
moon and stars. Many circle until they collapse from exhaustion or are
injured in crashes with structures or collisions with one another.
Nationally, the deaths rates are in the millions, Audubon officials say, with migrating birds the most at risk.
It's
impossible to know the numbers killed in Portland -- or which buildings
pose the most risks -- because many of the injured birds fly off to
die. Other dead and dying birds, Audubon officials suspect, are eaten
by scavengers during the night or swept away by street and sidewalk
cleaners the next morning.
"We'll be going out at dawn to
cover as many blocks as we can," said Mary Coolidge, program organizer
with Audubon. "And, we'll be checking rooflines, terraces and awnings
because some birds may have fallen there."
Sallinger wants to
monitor the South Waterfront development closely because its towering
glass structures are perched closely to the Willamette River flyway.
Hundreds of thousands of birds, including geese, ducks, gulls and other
waterfowl, sweep along the waterway and the sudden appearance of tall
structures can be disorienting to fast-flying birds, he said.
"No
one looked at this issue during design review of the development, and
with the city's commitment to sustainability, I'd like to see this
become part of future discussions," Sallinger said.
Cities
such as Chicago, Toronto and New York have policies in place to dim
lights on tall buildings because of bird strikes. Others are
encouraging home and business owners to add decals, streamers and
tinted glass onto or near window surfaces to reduce the number of
fatalities.
Roberta Jortner, program manager with the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability,
said the conservation organization's timing is good as the city is
starting talks with architects and lighting engineers about a model
ordinance for buildings with bird-friendly design features.
"It's on our radar," she said.
--Joe Fitzgibbon, Special to The Oregonian
