History of the Survey

This project was started by graduate students in the fall of 2019 from Graduates of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology RSO 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 fifth fall season for the project, although we are changing many aspects of the project (please see current season for more details). 

In the past, in 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 looking at a broader spectrum and different times as well. Overall, we have found over 85 species of birds as strikes over the last four years, around 60 just during the twenty weeks that we extensively surveyed. 

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, but other ideas on this difference are also possible. 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). We are currently investing in this idea, but likely it's due to window surface height with which migrants strike (lower species = lower window heights, higher species = higher building heights). 

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!