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  • Making IU Bloomington safer for birds

Making IU Bloomington safer for birds

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

The bodies of three warblers who died from striking windows on the IU Bloomington campus's Luddy Hall lie together next to a tag that reads: 9-17-20, 10:00, Luddy Hall.
These three warblers were window-strike victims at IU's Luddy Hall on the north side of the Bloomington campus in Sep. 2020. Warblers made up nearly 40 percent of the carcasses identifiable to species or genus found by Wanamaker and her crew. Photo courtesy of Sarah Wanamaker

 "I took a brief walk out from the lab during an enzyme incubation and checked out the small wetland north of the music building on the IU campus," reported Steve Bell, professor of biology and expert birder, on a local birding Facebook page. "It was absolutely crawling with birds, Swainson's and Grey-cheeked Thrush and 10 warbler species including Wilson's and Mourning. Amazing to have this sort of habitat a 4-minute walk from my workplace."

According to ebird.org, an online database of bird observations managed by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 136 species of birds have been documented on the IU Bloomington campus since 2009.

Although the campus provides good habitat for birds, many dangers are also present—including bird-building collisions. Crashing into windows is a primary cause of bird mortality. It is estimated that window strikes kill as many as 1 billion birds per year in the U.S. and Canada. These deaths are nondiscriminatory; window strikes kill otherwise healthy birds. Nighttime lighting in buildings poses an additional threat. Artificial light at night can disorient birds, especially during migration. It can also attract them, leading to avian window strikes with often fatal results.

Light shines from the multiple windows of the Global and International Studies Building at dusk on the IU Bloomington campus.
Nighttime lighting as seen in this photo of the Global and International Studies Bldg. on the IUB campus can attract birds, leading to potentially fatal window strikes. Photo by Indiana University

Sarah Wanamaker, research associate with IU's Environmental Resilience Institute and lab manager for Distinguished Professor of Biology Ellen Ketterson, is measuring the impact of campus buildings on bird populations.

Last fall and this spring, Wanamaker and her crew of volunteers monitored the area around seven IU Bloomington campus buildings. During fall 2020 they found 56 carcasses; in spring 2021, they found 32 carcasses.

Most bird populations are in decline. With the data she's collecting, Wanamaker intends to do something about it.

Sarah Wanamaker.

Ultimately, the data from our studies will be used to raise awareness on the issue of bird-building collisions,” explained Wanamaker. “Working with our partners, such as the City of Bloomington, IU building managers, and our local Audubon chapter, our mission is to reduce bird deaths by promoting bird-safe buildings. Reducing nighttime lighting will save energy as well.

Wanamaker has recruited Bryce Himebaugh, IU clinical assistant professor of engineering, to customize sensors to detect and record window strikes and measure light output.

This spring Wanamaker was awarded a small grant from the Brabson Library and Educational Foundation. The additional funding is helping to expand her preliminary campus survey. Wanamaker’s bird strikes project has recently received funding from the Amos Butler Audubon Society as well.

In addition to collecting and analyzing data, the team is creating and publicizing a “Lights Out” campaign to alert the campus community to the danger nighttime lighting presents for birds.

Wanamaker recognizes the urgency to develop strategies to make the university and beyond safer for birds.

"I know that groundskeepers, maintenance workers, and predators remove many of the birds before we find them," said Wanamaker. "You have to consider all of the birds we're not finding. If you scale up our numbers to how many buildings are on campus, I'm astonished at the number of deaths that are most likely occurring. I'm surprised we still have birds left at this rate."

A dead Yellow-bellied Sapsucker lies on its back on the gravel after striking a building window on the IU Bloomington campus.
One of the three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (a species of woodpecker) found by the team monitoring for avian window-strike fatalities on the IU Bloomington campus during fall 2020 and spring 2021 migration. Photo courtesy of Sarah Wanamaker
TABLE: Avian fatalities due to window strikes on IU Bloomington campus recorded by Wanamaker and her team during fall (Sep. 13–Oct. 26, 2020) and spring migration (Mar. 16–Apr. 30, 2021). Carcasses were identified to species when possible, otherwise classified by genus or as unidentifiable.
Species Fall 2020 Spring 2021
Mourning Dove 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
American Woodcock 2 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 1
wren sp.* 1
European Starling 1
Gray Catbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Veery 1
Swainson's Thrush 2
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 2 2
thrush spp.* 2
House Sparrow 1
House Finch 1 4
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Ovenbird 3 2
Northern Waterthrush 1
Kentucky Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 4
Pine Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
warbler spp.* 12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Unable to be identified* 10 12
Total individuals 56 32
* Bird carcass was heavily scavenged or decomposed, preventing species identification.

For more information or to submit data and photos about dead birds found near buildings on the IU Bloomington campus, email Wanamaker at sarawana@iu.edu. For those seeking ways to help birds in your area, visit the Global Bird Rescue website.

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