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Who has the Power to Make a Bird Friendly Berkeley?
The answer: everyone! Making a bird-friendly city involves the efforts of residents, businesses, government, and community organizations. Here, we identify a few important stakeholders and key messages and communication strategies to encourage them to take action.
Engaging Stakeholders
Engaging Stakeholders
Engaging Building Owners to Increase Bird Safety
Since Berkeley's proposed Bird-Safe Ordinance only applies to renovation efforts and new construction, it is also important to engage building owners of existing buildings, which form the majority of existing threats. Building owners can take steps to reduce threats to birds, such as treating windows with bird-safe treatments and reducing light pollution at night. Here, we offer recommendations to engage building owners.
Case Study: San Francisco's Bird-Friendly Certification
As part of its bird-friendly campaign, San Francisco created a "bird-friendly" certification for buildings located within identified high-risk areas in the city (such as parks or shorelines). According to their pamphlet, eligible buildings are:
Those constructed after 2011 that comply with the city's Bird-Safe Standards (as required)
Existing buildings that have treated at least 75% of windows with large amounts of glazing (panes of over 24 sq. ft.)
Buildings whose owners have agreed to a monitoring effort
Monitoring efforts entail conducting weekly searches during migration season for dead birds around the building's perimeter and under windows, and submitting findings to the City through the Planning Department website. The City defines migration season as February 15 to May 30 and August 15 to May 30.
In San Francisco, non-residential "bird-friendly" buildings are eligible to receive a plaque, as well as certified bird-friendly building stickers.
Overall, it is important to recognize and publicize the efforts of non-residential building owners who contribute to a more bird-friendly city.
A Berkeley Bird Friendly Certification Program
Taking a lead from San Francisco, and in partnership with Golden Gate Audubon, Berkeley should create a "bird friendly" certification program for buildings whose owners commit to one of the following:
Using bird-safe treatment for existing windows
Weekly monitoring of bird strikes around building perimeter and especially under windows
Hosting a bird-friendly pesticide-free garden (examples: New Hope Audubon Bird-Friendly Habitat and National Audubon Society's "How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly")
Comply with recommended bird-friendly lighting guidelines, such as shielded outdoor lighting and indoor blinds
As part of this effort, the city could:
Feature "bird-safe" certified buildings on its website and social media accounts
Create an online reporting tool to collect bird strike observations and make these data publicly available in maps showing the distribution of recorded bird strikes and "bird-safe" buildings
Tracking Bird Mortality
Bird strike data is important because there is little local data collected on bird strikes in the area. The city could take the lead to create an online reporting form for residents and businesses to report bird deaths. The city could then compile these observations into an online map that it makes available to the public. While it will take time to compile a thorough database of observations, over time, the map could help city staff locate potential hotspots, and identify residents and building owners in/near such hotspots with whom to work.
Source: Portland Audubon
Birds killed by window strikes. Source: NPR
Yellow throated warbler. Source: Miami New Times.
Empowering Residents to Monitor Bird Strikes
The city should make special efforts to encourage residents to contribute to data collection efforts. San Francisco created a "bird-friendly resident" certification for residents anywhere in the city who committed to regular monitoring efforts. Residents can be valuable partners to monitor bird strikes throughout the city, including areas where data is scarce.
To raise awareness of the online reporting tool among residents, the City should raise awareness of this tool through public-facing departments (such as Parks and Rec and the Library), Golden Gate Audubon, and other local conservation / birding organizations. The City can also educate people at the annual Berkeley Bird Festival.As part of this effort, the city could create an online form to collect bird mortality data, as well as update and maintain the map on a regular basis. This technological effort may require interdepartmental collaboration and additional staff capacity, but these efforts would result in Berkeley being one the first cities with a formal effort to track bird mortality throughout the city.
Estimating Effects of Bird Friendly Buildings
Berkeley should encourage monitoring efforts for buildings whose owners do not have plans for bird-safe window treatment. Having bird mortality data from both "bird-safe" and unprotected buildings can better demonstrate the effects of bird-safe treatment on windows. The city could create a different certification to encourage businesses and building owners to apply—for example, a "bird-ally" certification for those who may not be in the position to treat windows but are nonetheless committed to assisting with monitoring bird strikes in the area.
Engaging the Landscape Sector
A group that directly shapes habitat is the landscape sector. This sector includes tree trimmers, nurseries, and landscape contractors. These stakeholders alter, design, and provide plants for green spaces throughout the city. In particular:
Tree trimming may disturb nests and thin out the tree canopy, leaving birds overexposed to weather and predators.
Nurseries sell pesticide-treated plants that are used in residential and commercial landscapes.
Landscape contractors design landscapes that serve as potential habitat for wildlife.
Paying attention to these stakeholders is important because urban green spaces can serve as valuable habitat amidst human development.
Bird-friendly landscaping practices do not appear common in Berkeley. Such practices do not appear to be widely advertised in Berkeley nor do websites of local landscape contractors and tree trimmers mention bird/wildlife-friendly practices (though a couple of tree trimmers that we surveyed reported to avoid trees with nests, described below). Moreover, a review of local nurseries that reportedly carry neonicotinoid-free plants found that these nurseries usually did not publicize this fact on their websites.
There are probably several reasons for this lack of marketing around bird/wildlife-friendly services, but one of them is likely due to lack of awareness and demand for these services. For example, we found that customer preference for tree trimming practices go directly against what the National Wildlife Foundation recommends in leaving leaves and other organic matter on the ground to support a healthy ecosystem.
Based on an analysis of Yelp reviews, we found that customers tend to regard cleaning up tree debris as a positive service:
The crew clean up the yard and street thoroughly too. Highly recommend. (Jan 2023)
They cleaned up the yard extremely well too. Would hire again. (April 2022)
They left the site clean as a whistle. Will be calling them again for sure for annual tree maintenance. (Dec 2021)
...they raked, blew and cleaned up all the debris from the fallen branches. (Sept 2020)
They left the yard cleaner than when they arrived. (July 2022)
The cost was totally reasonable and they picked up every scrap of tree debris. (Jan 2023)
All of the above reviews - collected from five different tree trimmer Yelp profiles as well as one Google review - received five stars. Note that most reviews occurred during nesting season.
Source: Northwest Exterminating
Interest in protecting birds could help shift attitudes towards landscaping practices.
While these customer preferences for "clean" yards diminish bird habitat, there may be potential to reshape customer attitudes. One trimmer, when asked whether he thought customers would be open to leaving tree debris on the ground, said that "it depends [on the customer]." While some customers insist on clean yards, others may be more open. "People love birds, [they] love birds too much," he said.
This trimmer chooses not to work on trees with nests, saying that customers are usually understanding. A Yelp review praised this trimmer's approach: "The main trimmer clearly knows his craft and they did a beautiful job, all while taking care to preserve bird/squirrel nests and avoid damage to property."
This response reflects existing customer awareness of bird and wildlife-friendly practices that could encourage more widespread use of these approaches. It will likely be more effective to focus on customers, rather than businesses, since small businessowners may have limited ability to influence customer preferences. Thus, it will be important to inform residents on why bird-safe habitat is important and its many benefits.
Existing Resources
There are existing resources that provide information on bird-friendly landscaping practices:
The City of Redlands created a brochure to inform residents about how to keep bird nests safe and trees healthy.
The Golden Gate Audubon Society provides resources on bird-friendly native plants. The National Audubon Society also has a native plants database.
Tree Care for Birds is a California-based organization that promotes bird-friendly tree trimming practices throughout the state with trainings and resources.
CalRecycle provides information on sustainable landscaping.
San Francisco's website lists "bee-friendly" nurseries that sell neonicotinoid-free plants.
The City should create resources (or links to existing resources, such as those above) on bird-safe landscaping practices, including a list of local landscape businesses that use and are trained in bird-friendly practices. These businesses include:
Tree trimmers that use bird-friendly tree trimming practices
Nurseries that sell non-neonicotinoid treated plants
Landscapers committed to using native or neonicotinoid-free plants
Engaging Residents with Companion Cats
Cats are popular companions. However, many residents leave house cats out to roam, which can endanger local wildlife (see Pollution & Predators section). Educating residents on the risks of free-ranging cats is not only important to protect birds and other wildlife, but also cats themselves. Outdoor cats can be killed or injured by cars or other animals, and contract diseases and parasites.
Indeed, the outdoors can be a dangerous place for cats. A survey of cat-keeping residents showed that a third of them reported losing a cat to a car accident, and two-thirds reported losing a free-roaming cat in general. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 10-15 years, compared to 2-5 years for an outdoor cat. There are also additional reasons to keep cats contained, including:
Reducing transmission of disease and parasites to people and other animals
Reducing unwanted litters of kittens
Avoiding conflicts and unwanted interactions with neighbors
Emphasizing cat safety is important. One study showed that residents that kept their cats contained showed more concern for their cat's safety than those that let their cats outdoors. These results suggest that to change resident behavior regarding cat containment, it can be more effective to emphasize the risks to free-roaming cats themselves, than to wildlife.
Beyond keeping cats indoors, residents may need information about how to keep their cats healthy indoors. Research in Australia found that cat-keeping residents may not be meeting the needs of cats at home. Lack of awareness of how to provide them with proper elimination facilities and feed animals in a way that "stimulates natural predatory behaviors" can increase health risks to cats.
Source: Tractive
Building Awareness of Risks of Roaming
Berkeley could provide information and resources to cat-keeping residents with the purpose of raising their awareness of the risks of having outdoor cats as well as more general best cat-keeping practices. Such an information campaign can occur through social media ( such as the City of Berkeley's Instagram account), and via partnerships with local animal organizations such as:
Berkeley Animal Care Services (IG: @berkeleyanimals) - 2,412 followers
Berkeley Humane Society (IG: @berkeleyhumane) - 14,200 followers
Oakland Animal Services (IG: @oaklandanimalservices) - 25,400 followers
East Bay SPCA (IG: @eastbayspca) - 19,800 followers
Alameda Animal Shelter (IG: @alameda_animal_shelter) - 9,747 followers
Although there are likely overlaps in their followers, combining these accounts results in a potential reach of over 71,000 followers, many of them likely a person living with cats (or related to one).
Local veterinarians may also be allies. A study indicated that in the US, vets were considered the most reputable sources of information. This ranked above others with house cats with similar problems, family/friends, and the internet. The city, in partnership with local veterinary care providers, can:
Create informational brochures to be distributed by vets to their clients
Host workshops for residents with cat about how to keep their cats contained and happy
Existing Campaigns and Resources
The Humane Society of the United States provides brochures on catios that can be ordered, as well as online information about relevant topics such as how to bring your outside cat indoors and 10 tips to keep a cat happy indoors.
The Central New Mexico Audubon Society has a Cats Indoors Campaign. In addition to distributing flyers by the American Bird Conservancy, the organization created its own resource on bringing outdoor cats indoors. Its page also provides link to retailers selling cat containment solutions, such as a cat enclosure kit and catio kits.
There are existing resources that seek to inform residents of the dangers of letting their cats outdoors, and what they can do instead. The American Bird Conservancy created a Cats Indoors Campaign that seek to educate the public and policymakers to about the advantages of keeping cats contained. The campaign's tagline, "Better for cats, better for birds, better for people," reflects the idea that this approach benefits all stakeholders involved. The organization also has various informational brochures available to order, such as "Cats and Wildlife: How You Can Protect Both" and "Cats, Birds, and You."
Urban Birdwatching
Birdwatching is another way to engage community members. Based on observations in iNaturalist, there seem to be observations of birds occurring throughout the city. As of April 25, 2023, a review of iNaturalist observations in Berkeley indicate 10,027 observations of 209 species observed by 1,492 people. These observations occur geographically throughout the city, indicating widespread interest in birds.
There are already several birding groups that indicate interest in birds, including:
Berkeley also hosts the annual Berkeley Bird Festival, which brings together organizations and community members to celebrate bird wildlife in the city. According to the festival's website, the activities include:
Birding field trips
Family-friendly art and craft activities
Chalk art
Lecture/performance series, “Winged Wonderment”
In addition, the Golden Gate Audubon Society hosts regular Christmas bird counts in Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco. According to the website, the Oakland count has had the most participants out of any other count in the world.
Case Studies: Encouraging Birdwatching and Community Science
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has a robust Bird City certification program that recognizes cities for their efforts to protect birds. Cities apply and are certified based on meeting certain criteria, which include:
Initiate community participation in at least one community science program annually
Engage community and partners in long-term (greater than 5 years) local bird monitoring programs that incorporate eBird and/or iNaturalist
Sponsor an annual bird festival that promotes community stewardship and appreciation of native birds and their habitats
Various certified cities in Texas meet these criteria in different ways. The City of Bastrop, Texas markets itself as a birding destination and organizes several birding events year-round. Every second Friday is a "Little Hike Birdwatching Walk," and every fourth Saturday is a "Big Sit Birdwatching" event. In addition, the city hosts the Smithville Birdfest in October.
Houston, another Bird City Texas location, hosts a variety of events:
A City Nature Challenge in which birders are encouraged to submit their observations to iNaturalist to contribute to the global community science effort.
The Birdathon (Houston Audubon's annual spring fundraiser) in which participants count as many bird species as possible within a 24 hour period, while fundraising.
Bird Week: A weeklong celebration of birds and "the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds and the everyday lives of our resident birds."
San Antonio also has planned events throughout 2023, including bird counts, bird walks, book talks, a City Nature Challenge, and a bird festival. Another way that the city has encouraged birdwatching is by installing birdwatching amenities at parks.
Harnessing Human-Bird Interactions for Mutual Benefit
Birding events not only help birds, but humans too. Birding not only can increase support for bird-friendly practices and policies, but also enhance people's mental health. Hearing and seeing birds have been scientifically shown to enhance mental well being for up to eight hours. Another study showed that those who live in areas with more birds experience less anxiety, depression, and stress. These findings reflect the benefits to humans of interacting with birds, either passively (such as in one's home) or actively (such as birdwatching).
Encouraging citizen science around birds can take advantage of this health benefit while increasing data collection that can help conservation initiatives. The National Geographic defines citizen science as "the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge." As mentioned in the previous section, citizen science efforts can involve residents entering their bird observations into iNaturalist and eBird, which helps provide updated and comprehensive data to research and conservation efforts. This data would provide valuable information to city staff and scientists about bird populations within the city, which would assist them in identifying bird hotspots to target bird-safety efforts.
Drawing inspiration from Bird City Texas, Berkeley could help plan citizen science events and enourage individuals and groups to record their observations in eBird and iNaturalist, to help monitor bird populations in the city year-round. These efforts can empower residents to contribute in tangible ways to research and conservation efforts, increase support for bird-friendly policies, and enhance mental health.
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