History of the survey

This project was started by a few graduate students in the fall of 2019 from the Graduates of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology student organization on campus. These students were curious about which buildings were problematic for birds and what species were striking these buildings. This upcoming season will be the fourth fall season for the project and we have collected hundreds of birds throughout the past few years. 

During our five week seasons, we average around 175 strikes in the fall and 50 in the spring at 18 buildings on campus. We have found over 1,500 over four years throughout campus, specifically looked at a broader spectrum and different times as well. Overall, we have found over 80 species of birds as strikes over the last four years. 

It is important to note the differences between the seasons. A lot more strikes are found in the fall than in the spring (a 3:1 ratio), likely suggesting more hatch year birds collide with windows as they migrate south. Also, there are a lot more strikes found on the North Quad in the fall than on the South in the fall (a 2:1 ratio) and more strikes are found on the South Quad than on the North in the Spring (a 4:1 ratio). Both of these suggest that whichever season it is, birds will most likely strike windows on the side of campus that they are migrating from. Therefore found along the North Quad more often in the fall since birds are migrating from the north and the South Quad in the spring. 

Please see below for general stats from what we have found over the years! There is still so much to come from this project in the future!

Female Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)

Today we are starting to look at ways to help mitigate this threat on campus, and are starting to work with Facilities & Services and Directors of Buildings throughout campus to make this goal happen. This project and the findings from it could not have been possible without the dozens of volunteers throughout the years so we thank everyone who has helped with this project in the past so much for their time and dedication! In the past, we received an SSC grant to mitigate collusions at one building on campus and this is still in the process of being completed!

We are also working on spreading more awareness about this issue to not just people on the campus, but to others throughout the community we live in as well. In the Fall of 2021, Colin was interviewed by WCIA about the project before the season started. We are hoping for continued outreach in the near future and please reach out if you would like to help out!