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Bird-Window Collisions at the Chan Centre For Performing Arts and the Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Balcony : First Year of Monitoring

University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

Window bird strikes pose a significant treat to bird populations as one of the most common causes of avian mortality (Scott et al. 2023). This study investigates the severity and frequency of bird strikes at two buildings at the UBC Vancouver Campus, the Chan Centre for Performing Arts and the balcony at the Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, where bird collision prevention measures have not been implemented. Research in this topic explores the factors that contribute to bird collisions such as visual capabilities of birds, properties of glass, weather conditions, and the presence of nearby vegetation. Through field observations conducted for an 8 week period in the winter and spring (February and March 2024), evidences of collisions such as feather smears, feather piles, and carcases were recorded at these study sites. Findings indicated a higher incidence of bird collisions at the Chan Centre, particularly at Façade 5 with 14 evidences observed, compared to the Wall Institute with 6 evidences observed in total. However, limitations included quick carcass disappearance and monitoring scheduling suggesting the true extent of collisions were underestimated. Factors that could have influenced bird collision frequency at these sites include the nearby vegetation, size of windows, and weather, which impacts reflectivity on windows and alters glass surface. Continued monitoring throughout the year are recommended to assess these factors at the study sites. Management implications include the implementation of preventative bird-collision strategies such as Feather Friendly markers and UV-treated glass, tailored to building design and purpose. As well, the continued involvement of students in this project and creation of educational initiatives is suggested to increase awareness of this human-wildlife conflict issue and promote further enforcement of mitigation measures. By addressing these factors and contributions to bird window strikes, future efforts should improve sustainability and more effectively reduce bird mortalities at UBC. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Report

eng

2024-07-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88803

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/