On Aug 23, 2014, at 1:10 AM, Gordon Andersson <gpanders...@msn.com>
wrote:
The ovenbird is in third place among bird species collected after
window strikes in downtown St Paul and Mpls. This was reported in
the
Spring 2010 issue of The Loon after three years of the Project
BirdSafe study sponsored by Audubon MN. From spring 2007 to fall
2009, 111 ovenbirds were picked up of which 101 were dead, 9 were
released, and one was rehabbed at the
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. This constituted six migration
periods.
In each downtown a prescribed circuit is walked each day of
migration.
In St Paul the route is 30 blocks long. (White-throated Sparrow is
1st place
(N=204) and Nashville Warbler is 2nd (N=173)). In those first three
years, approx 1400 birds were killed by impacts with glass in the
two downtowns,
representing 100 species. This program is now in its eighth season.
Today the Viking management announced that they would add another
$20,000,000 for more 'amenities' to the new $ 1 B stadium. (A TV
report
tonight cited $46 M in added contribution.) But no dollars will
be spent
on bird-safe glass. In an interview, the Chair of the MSFA said that
'fritted glass' is not acceptable because it would not provide a
clear view
by the fans of the environs outside the stadium.
Many of you contacted Mpls City Council members, the Vikings
management as
well as the MSFA members. The city council voted unanimously that
the
stadium should use glass that is more visible to birds. The MOU
Board also
passed a resolution to this effect. Nevertheless, the approx
$1,000,000
additional cost for safer glass was considered too expensive by the
Vikings owners/mgrs. (Fritted glass is also more energy efficient
than regular
glass.)
I know that a bird will fly into the glass side of a skyway or into a
glass window of a building wall that is framed by solid structural
non-glass elements. The height and width of the glass surfaces of
the
new stadium
(~200,000 ft2) will present a very large and invisible "target" to
many birds throughout the year but especially to neotropical migrants
in the spring and fall. And this is so that the people who attend 8
home games a year at the stadium can look away from the field of play
for a transparent view outside the building.
On some nights in the spring, millions of birds fly over the metro
area.
As you know, these birds actively feed during the day and also fly
into windows.
I also know that there are other significant causes of bird mortality
in addition to window glass--- both winter and summer habitat loss,
cats,
poison, vehicles. But one must look at the additive effect of all
of these
and then try to mitigate each one. If you subscribe to the belief
that one more dead bird doesn't matter (or that window kills are not
important), than I suggest you should not vote either, because you
are really only one vote.
So to paraphrase FDR or George Marshall--- "A thousand million
dollars
for a football stadium and and not one million dollars to prevent
unnecessary bird deaths."
It is too late at night to fact check all of this, but I think it is
fairly accurate. the paraphrase is my own.
There is a good write-up of this issue on Sharon Stiteler's blog
"Birdchick"
dated July 26, 2014.
I know many of you are concerned about the effect the stadium, as
planned, will have on flying birds of many kinds. I don't know
what to suggest
except more phone calls and emails. or protests with placards.
If anyone
has any ideas or direction, please share them. There was a lot of
email
about this issue here a couple weeks ago.
(You should also read about the poor ovenbird.)
Gordon Andessson
St Paul
From: American Bird Conservancy [mailto:i...@abcbirds.org]
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 4:30 PM
To: gpanders...@msn.com
Subject: ABC's Bird of the Week: Ovenbird
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=Cmr7sW-1k4Nj_KFv3LyU5g> The
Walking Warbler
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=Tt3_BoNWkyoIu3hq7OoatQ>
Teacher, Teacher!
Ovenbird
The Ovenbird gets its name from its unique nest, which looks like a
domed oven. This inconspicuous, ground-nesting warbler is best-known
for its emphatic and distinctive song-a series of progressively
louder
phrases often described as "teacher, teacher, teacher."
Like the Wood Thrush
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=E9SDxP7P3HJr6C5ZvPIn6g> and
Kentucky, Cerulean
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=XpLcXg8ZxZ4hLW2vdH902Q> , and
Worm-eating Warblers
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=XOp9FK986OlputnPBnlHOA> ,
Ovenbirds require undisturbed expanses of forest for successful
breeding. Although more flexible in habitat requirements on their
wintering grounds, Ovenbirds and other Neotropical migratory
species benefit from habitat conservation in these regions as well.
Learn more and listen to the Ovenbird's song
<http://support.abcbirds.org/site/R?i=pT6Qv_XFfTV6uCjn3DnRpg> >>
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