Last night, 23,100 birds were in flight according to BirdCast. While we tend to think of autumn as the avian migratory season, many birds begin their trek south to warmer climates in August.

A bird’s migration can be treacherous. Although birds are not actually “bird brains,” when it comes to discerning reflection from reality, they fall short, or rather, hit hard. Birds collide with reflective glass because what they see ahead looks just like where they have come from. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, “every year more than one billion birds collide with glass in the U.S. alone!”

The good news is that these collisions are preventable through sustainable bird-friendly designs. There are many options for collision-proof glass, and designers have been using them for more than a decade. Several cities are leading the way on bird-friendly building policies. Toronto was the first in North America in 2010 to mandate bird safety requirements. New York City soon followed, as did Washington, DC, Madison, WI, and in California, Cupertino, Oakland, San Jose and San Francsico, to name a few. The City of Los Angeles is (still) working on a Wildlife Ordinance: a well-rounded approach to protection that includes glass collision prevention, trash enclosure requirements, fencing, lighting, and landscaping requirements to help protect all wildlife in our area.

IAC, Images by Chuck Choi Architectural Photography, courtesy of permasteelisa.permasteelisagroup.com

Image courtesy of georgetownco.com

Sustainable glass options to prevent bird damage include fritted glass (tiny opaque dots or lines), ultraviolet patterned glass, etched glass and opaque or translucent glass. Frank Gehry’s iconic IAC building in New York City is so fritted the windows look opaque from the outside but provide beautiful views from the inside. Fritted glass at the University of Minesota’s Bell Museum not only prevents bird collisions, but it is also energy efficient, as the pattern reduces the amount of solar heat gain (twin-citie.umn.edu).

Bell Museum, Images by Gaffer Photography courtesy of entermn.com

Image courtesy of twin-cities.umn.edu

Other examples of buildings that utilize fritted glass include: Tamimai Residence Hall at Florida International University that features a patterned ceramic paint baked on the surface of the glass creating visual clues for the birds; Intuit headquarters in Mountainview, CA that uses fritted glass for bird collision prevention, solar and energy efficiency, glare control and aesthetics; University of Cincinnati’s Old Chem building that incorporates a pattern of slightly opaque dots; and New York’s Statue of Liberty Museum which utilizes a silk-screened dot pattern that deters bird impacts into its 22-foot-high glass windows. Slats, screens, netting and louvers as seen on many buildings can be architecturally stunning and also prevent collisions.

Statue of Liberty Museum, Images by FXCollaborative, courtesy of theplan.it

Since most of the bird collisions happen at low-rise buildings, it is important to make our homes bird-friendly too. There are many options for what you can do at home to prevent collisions. Frit patterns applied to the outside are hardly visible to the human eye. Even low-tech temporary paint, film, tape or decals applied in a pattern (no more than 2” apart in all directions on the outside of the glass) will reduce collisions. Bird feeders placed within three feet of glass, especially glass corners, will attract birds away from the glass, and turning lights off at night reduces collisions during migratory seasons, reduces light pollution, and reduces your energy bill.

If you do have an unfortunate collision or encounter an injured bird, contact Wildlife Care of Southern California at 805-428-7105 for guidance.

Check out nocturnal bird activity at your area at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-CA-037 and explore bird migration on the interactive map at https://explorer.audubon.org/home?layersPanel=expand

Birdbrain Solutions