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By Megan Solensky
Anywhere from 365-988 million birds die in North America each year after colliding with glass.
Emily Smith of BirdSafe Erie tells us that glass reflects the trees in sky, making it an inviting place for birds to fly into.
“They run into the windows in the daytime because of like reflective glass or transparency. Either they don’t see the window, or they see like the beautiful plants we have inside our windows and want to go to them,” said Smith. “There’s also a lot of problems at night because of interior and exterior lights. They disorient the birds, and that will cause them to run directly into the glass.”
Many cities report a high bird mortality rate from colliding with glass during the spring and fall. Here at home. Bird Safe Erie is conducting research to determine the extent of the bird mortality rates during migration season.
“The birds take a reprieve from traveling thousands of miles from South and Central America going to Canada for the summer, and just before the lake shore, they kind of take a stop to take a breath, eat dinner, and then they move onward.”
Smith tells us that the project relies heavily on volunteers, and they’re turning to the Erie community for your help.
If you are interested in volunteering, visit their website. There will be a volunteer information and training session Saturday March 25th at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.
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