Update

The Spring 2017 BirdSafe Pittsburgh monitoring season has now come to an end and as we tally up our birds and look at the data, we always think it’s worthwhile to point out the interesting and new species that were found downtown this spring. As always this project could not be done without the help of our volunteers.

Many birders have noted the bizarre nature of this springs migration, with only slow, small movements of birds week after week. We noticed the same things while walking routes throughout Pittsburgh, looking for birds that had struck windows. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers we managed to find 66 birds this season (See table 1). That is slightly less than past spring seasons (43 – 2014, 81 – 2015, and 85 – 2016). 16 of the 66 found were alive and taken to the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Verona. 36 species of birds were found throughout the spring including four first time species for BirdSafe Pittsburgh; Alder Flycatcher, Bobolink, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Eastern Meadowlark.

Table 1.) Total birds found during the Spring 2017 downtown monitoring season

In the off season between the Fall of 2016 and the spring of 2017, eight birds were found (see table 2.) throughout the city, including Northern Cardinal, an unknown Chickadee species, two live American Woodcocks, Rock Pigeon, two Song Sparrows, and an unknown Species. These were found between November 9^th and March 30^th. This is a reminder that even though we only monitor during the migration season, birds strike windows all year round.

Table 2.) Birds found during the off season between Fall 2016 and Spring 2017

In our first month of the monitoring season (April) we found 19 birds (see table 3). The only warblers we found in April were a Black-throated Green Warbler and a Louisiana Waterthrush. Unfortunately, only five of the birds were found alive.

Table 3.) Total birds found during April of 2017

In our Second month of the season (May) we found a whopping 38 birds (see figure 4). 20 different species were found in May including some interesting species such as Alder Flycatcher, Bobolink, Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Among these 38 birds only seven were found alive, one of which had to be one of the strangest calls we have received at BirdSafe Pittsburgh. An individual had ridden her bike into town and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo had struck a window and landed on her bike handlebars! Fortunately, the woman was more than willing to help, and she kept the bird safe until it was transported to the Humane Animal Rescue Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

(Yellow-billed Cuckoo. This bird struck a window in downtown Pittsburgh and then landed on a bicyclists handlebars.)

Table 1.) Total birds found during May of monitoring season

Now those of you with keen math skills might have noticed that those numbers only add up to 65 when we have 66 birds listed as our total. That’s because we had one incidental find, a stunned Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, after our spring season ended. Fortunately, our volunteers managed to get the bird safely to the wildlife center.

Thanks to all of our volunteers for helping to make this slow migration season a successful one.

October 25 – November 3, 2016

First a thank you!

Week 8 concludes our fall 2016 monitoring season and we would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers who give up their early mornings to look for birds in our city. They help us collect our data, transport birds to rehabilitation, and are a constant supply of information for new threats for birds within the city. This project would not be what it is today or have acquired nearly as much data as we have without the endless help of our volunteers.

This week only 10 birds were found throughout the city (table 1.) . The birds were also found spaced out throughout the week with only 1 or 2 birds being found on several of the days (table 2.). This followed what was forecast by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast as bird movement in the area began to slow around the end of last week (10/21) and through that weekend. The warm weather that followed in the beginning to middle of the work week (10/25-10/27) continued to slow movement. By the end of the week (10/28) movement began picking up again and more birds were found through the weekend and into this week. All of the birds were found within 3 routes with 3 birds being found outside of designated routes (table 3.). Unfortunately only 2 of the 10 birds found were alive (table 4.)

Table 1.) Total number of birds found between 10/25/2016-11/03/2016

Table 2.) Number of birds found on each day from 10/25/2016-11/03/2016

Table 3.) Total number of birds found in each route between 10/25/2016-11/03/2016

Table 4.) Number of dead versus live birds found from 10/25/2016-11/03/2016

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for a summation of the fall 2016 monitoring season. For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info. Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

 October 18 – 24 2016

This week we only found 7 birds total!  As was predicted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birdcast This week was a slow one.  We only had 7 birds total from 7 species (table 1).  Also as predicted the work week was very slow with Wednesday the 19th being the only day during the workweek that a bird was found (table 2).  The other 6 birds were found on Saturday and Sunday the 23rd-24th.  All seven birds were found in relatively close proximity within 3 routes and by the same volunteer (table 3)!  We continue our large ratio of dead vs live birds from last week to this week with only 1 live bird and 6 dead (table 4).

Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast has forecast a decrease in migration next week.  after a large cold system comes through over the weekend bringing precipitation and more autumn-like weather we will have a few days of favorable conditions for bird movement.  That will come to a halt around the middle of the work week when another disturbance comes through the area.  By the end of the week favorable conditions should come back to our area increasing bird movement and potential bird strikes.

Table 1.) Total number of birds found between 10/18/2016-10/24/2016

Table 2.) Bird strikes found between 10/18/2016-10/24/2016

Table 3.) Bird strikes found in each route between 10/18/2016-10/24/2016

Table 4.) Number of dead vs live birds found between 10/18/2016-10/24/2016

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

 October 11 – 17, 2016

This week our volunteers found 18 birds, from a total of 12 species (table 1).  We also found our first white-breasted nuthatch of the season on October 11th.  A strong front passed through the area over the weekend bringing an increase in bird movement and migration.  We saw this at the beginning of the work week as bird strikes were higher from Monday to Wednesday (table 2).  As the system moved towards the coast bird movement slowed along with window strikes through the rest of the work week and weekend.  This followed Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast forecast and analysis for this week.  This week we had bird strikes all over the city in many of our routes (table 3).  Route 7 had the largest number of strikes again but overall strikes were found in many locations throughout the city.  We also had only 1 live bird (see the tennessee warbler below) this week which is unusual given the past few weeks we have had closer to 50% live, 50% dead (table 4).

Birdcast forecasts that next week we should see a slow in bird movement and strikes at the start of the work week.  As southern winds dominate the region Monday and Tuesday bird movement will slow until Tuesday night when a large mass of cooler air should increase bird movement.  Patterns of precipitation will pass through the area for the rest of the week which could slow movement or bring some unexpected species our way so be sure to keep a watch out for next weeks update to see what we find.

Table 1.) Total number of birds found between 10/11/2016-10/17/2016

Table 2.) Total strikes per day between 10/11/2016-10/17/2016

Table 3.) number of birds found in each route between 10/11/2016-10/17/2016

Table 4.) number of dead vs stunned birds found between 10/11/2016-10/17/2016

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

October 3 – 10, 2016

This week saw a large jump in bird strikes (table 1.) from 16 last week to 39 this week, our largest amount this season.  Starting last Monday and Tuesday we saw large numbers taper off as hurricane Matthew made its way up the coast.  As hurricane Matthew decreased in intensity bird strikes began rising once again on Sunday (table 2.).  This follows closely to what was predicted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast from last week. Interestingly 18 of the 39 birds found this week were from one route (table 3.).  Normally this route has regular window strikes but this week in particular saw a larger than normal proportion of birds striking windows.  Last week one of our more interesting stats was the 50/50 ratio of dead to live birds which is very uncommon.  This week we again saw a near tie of 22 dead to 17 live birds (table 4.).

Table 1.) Total species found between 10/03/2016-10/10/2016

Table 2.) Number of birds found each day between 10/03/2016-10/10/2016

Table 3.) Number of birds found in each route between 10/03/2016-10/10/2016

Table 3.) Number of dead versus stunned birds found between 10/03/2016-10/10/2016

This week we should see moderate to heavy flights as the week begins with favorable conditions wide spread across the region.  as the week progresses, remnants of hurricane Matthew will begin to pass through the Great Lakes region meaning potential changes in migration paths.  As hurricane Matthew moves out to sea a disturbance moving east should bring moderate to heavy flights across the region.  Make sure to keep watch on what hurricane Matthew does through the week as any changes to the storm could have impacts on us inland.

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

September 25 – October 2, 2016

This week we only found 16 birds, retaining the pattern of the past two weeks (Table 1.).  With the remnants of tropical storm Karl moving north coinciding with northern winds, favorable conditions helped move migrating birds through our area later in the week and over the weekend.  Surprisingly our data this week did not follow the pattern forecasted by Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast (Table 2.).  We found few birds Monday through Wednesday, and no birds on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday when conditions were expected to be best.  One of the most interesting components of the past week was how many dead and stunned birds we found.  With sixteen birds found total exactly half were dead and half were stunned (Table 3.).  This ratio is rather uncommon compared to the previous three weeks data (Table 4.).

Table 1.) Total species found between 9/25/2016-10/02/2016

Table 2.) Total birds found on each day between 9/25/2016-10/02/2016

Table 3.) Number of dead versus stunned birds found on each route between 9/25/2016-10/02/2016

Table 4. Number of birds found dead vs stunned during each week of the first month of the fall 2016 monitoring season.

The first part of this week has favorable conditions for increased migration.  For the remainder of the week moderate to heavy flights are expected as hurricane Matthew moves northward along the eastern coast.  As the forecast takes Matthew out to sea we should keep a watch on it because if the storm changes direction it could mean changes in migration patterns, and in a matter of hours alter the migration paths of birds.

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

ruby-throated hummingbird

This week we found more birds than last week (table 1.).  Last week Cornell Lab of Ornithology forecast that migration would slow as the week progressed, that is what we found as from Tuesday on, bird collisions started decreasing (table 2.).  This past weekend we saw an increase in northern winds and as the week progresses we should see these conditions coincide with offshore remnants of tropical storm Karl and bring an increase in migration from Wednesday to Friday.

Table 1.) Total species found between 9/19/2016-9/25/2016

Table 2.) Total birds found on each day between 9/19/2016-9/25/2016

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

Our second week of fall monitoring was quite interesting compared to the first week.  Based on number of birds found (table 1.), number of species found (9), and how birds were spaced out throughout the week (table 2.), and the downtown area (table 3.). Last week a total of 36 birds were found while this week less than half of that (14) were found in and around the downtown area.  Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast had forecast that this past week would see an increase in movement of warbler, thrush, and vireo species moving through our area. Interestingly we found our first Northern Parula, Red-eyed Vireo, and Swainson’s Thrush for the fall season.

Table 1.) Total species found between 9/12/2016 – 9/19/2016

Table 2.) Total birds found on each day between 9/12/2016 – 9/19/2016

Table 3.) Total number of birds found in each route between 9/12/2016 – 9/19/2016

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast has forecast that migration will continue to slow this week as unfavorable conditions from this weekend continue through the week..  Make sure to keep a watch for next weeks update to see how the birds fare as migration begins to pick up.

Keep an eye on our website and our Facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season.  For information on how to get involved or volunteer, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info.  Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@birdsafepgh) and Twitter (@birdsafePGH) as well!

Dead birds are taken to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and become specimens in the Section of Birds.

Live birds are transported to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and release.

We have completed our first week of the fall 2016 monitoring season and it started with a bang.  We have already collected or saved 35 birds in the downtown Pittsburgh area.  With ranging species, most of which are warblers, the fall migration season seems to be upon us.  

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast reported that this past week warbler migration has really started getting underway along with some vireos and thrushes.  That coincides with the higher numbers of warbler species and individuals found this week (table 1.).  Also it was reported that due to the storm front that passed through on Thursday, migration would be slowed during that night.  Subsequently lower numbers of window collisions were reported the morning after the storm (table 3.)

Here are a few tables and photos showing the species we’ve encountered so far and which routes have had the highest collision rate.

Table 1.) Total species found between 8/29/2016 – 9/11/2016

Table 2.) Total birds found on each day between 8/29/2016 – 9/11/2016

Table 3.) Total number of birds found in each route between 8/29/2016 – 9/11/2016

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology forecast for this week shows higher density flights tonight, tomorrow night and to a lesser extent Thursday night.  This being said make sure to keep a watch for next weeks update to see how the birds fair as migration begins to pick up.

Keep a watch on our website and facebook page for continued updates throughout the fall season. And for information on how to get involved or volunteer email birdsafepgh@gmail.com for more info!

While springtime is not as busy as fall, spring migration brings a large number of birds into the area in a short amount of time causing dense groupings to enter the city in quick succession.  Adult breeding males and females are heading to their breeding grounds to set up territories.  Many migrants travel throughout the night and drop in at first light to refuel after a few hundred miles of flying.  If they find themselves in the city, they can quickly become stuck in a maze of invisible barriers that may look like trees or open sky.  Unable to tell the difference between a real tree and a reflected one, they could fly towards what they believe to be another tree but end up hitting a window at full speed.  Unfortunately, most birds die on impact while others are lucky enough to recover after a few minutes and try again to escape the city.

BirdSafe Pittsburgh volunteers monitor the streets of downtown during the early hours of day to look for injured or dead birds that can be captured and rehabilitated or collected as specimens for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.  Injured birds are taken to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center in Verona where they are rehabilitated and released again to continue their journey.

This past spring (January 16 – July 7) volunteers spent 188 hours searching (table 3) and collected 108 birds, 23 of which were stunned and captured for rehabilitation (table 1).  We also had a large number of species found this spring with a total of 41! That’s an increase of 5 species from 2015 and 12 species from 2014 (table 2).

Table 1.) Birds found during BirdSafe Pittsburgh monitoring January 16 – July 7, 2016

Table 2.) Comparing species totals from spring of 2014, 2015, 2016.
(* denotes species were only found in that year’s spring)

Table 3.) comparing the hours volunteers spent walking routes and looking for dead or stunned birds from the spring of 2014, 2015, and 2016

If you would like more information about how you can get involved in helping us learn more about window collisions in the Pittsburgh area visit this page.  You can also follow us on Facebook and email us at birdsafepgh@gmail.com

The cover story of Carnegie Magazine’s Summer 2015 issue is about our efforts to reduce window collisions.  It primarily focuses on the research conducted by the American Bird Conservancy at Powdermill Nature Reserve, where bird-safe glass prototypes are (safely) tested in a flight tunnel.  I (Matt Webb) worked on this research in the tunnel for four migration seasons, from Spring 2013 through Fall 2014.  This work naturally led to the founding of BirdSafe Pittsburgh, which is also featured in this article.

We’re very excited about being featured so prominently in such a respected publication!  Click on the image to read the article online, or if you happen to be visiting one of the four Carnegie Museums, pick up a copy for yourself!

BirdSafe Pittsburgh’s spring 2015 season has passed its one month mark! We began monitoring on April 1 and in the entire month of April, 10 volunteers put in roughly 92 hours walking routes throughout downtown. 26 birds were found in the month of April, of which 4 were found alive. Of these 4 live birds, volunteers were unable to capture 2 of them, and the other two were taken to the Animal Rescue League’s Wildlife Center in Verona, PA, where they were eventually released back into the wild.

The entire list for April is as follows:
American Robin – 3
Brown Creeper – 1
Brown Thrasher – 4 (one of which was alive and released!)
Cedar Waxwing – 1
Eastern Towhee – 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1 (alive, escaped capture)
House Sparrow – 1
Northern Cardinal – 1
Northern Flicker – 2 (one alive, escaped capture)
Pine Warbler – 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Song Sparrow – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
White-throated Sparrow – 1
Wood Thrush – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 4 (one of which was alive and released!)

Though it is disheartening to see these numbers and species, each of these birds has given us more information on the problem of window collisions in Pittsburgh. By collecting this data, we can get at where collisions are more likely to occur, and we can better focus our efforts to solve the problem.

As we move into the month of May, however, we are in need of more help! Just in the first 4 days we have already found 6 birds, including 3 Wood Thrush, 1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 1 White-throated Sparrow, and the male Yellow Warbler seen below. We will need people covering routes, creating new routes throughout the city, checking their houses, and driving birds to the Wildlife Center! To get involved, email birdsafepgh@gmail.com

This week The Allegheny Front, Pennsylvania’s environmental radio program, featured BirdSafe Pittsburgh in their weekly episode.  You can listen to the entire episode here, or just the BirdSafe Pittsburgh report here.  The Allegheny Front has a wide reach through all of the stations that carry their programming, and an even wider audience through their website, so hopefully this coverage will translate into a larger impact as more people become aware of what we do and what everyone can do to help!